adsail, and this would not try the
damaged mast so severely as the foresail had done, with its wide extent
of canvas.

By the time all these different manoeuvres had been essayed and effected
it was broad daylight. It was a fine morning, too, although the wind
was still blowing a hurricane and the sea was fearfully high and choppy,
for there wasn't a cloud to be seen in the heavens, while the sun was
shining down with almost tropical heat; but, in spite of its looking so
bright, we hadn't done with the nor'-wester yet.

Towards mid-day, when we found from observation that we were in latitude
27 degrees North and longitude 18 degrees West--nearly abreast of the
island of Palma in the Canaries, and a terrible distance to the eastward
of our position on the previous day, thus showing all the leeway we had
lost--the wind increased so much in strength that it blew now with even
greater force than at its first onset the evening before on the breaking
out of the gale.

This was not all, either.

The heavy waves that dashed against the ship as she headed them, broke
upon her bows with such fury that it seemed every moment as if they
would beat in the timbers; while, every now and then, some billow
mightier than its fellows would force her head away, making her fall
off, and then, the succeeding sea would take her broadside on, hurling
tons of broken water on her decks that would have soon filled her had
not the hatches been battened down, which precaution had been taken when
we first reduced sail.

The situation became serious on this being repeated several times during
the afternoon, for there was great danger of the vessel being any moment
thrown on her beam ends, when there would certainly be a clean sweep
made of everything on board and the _Esmeralda_ be speedily converted
into a floating wreck!

Captain Billings accordingly called a council of his officers, I
standing by and listening to what Mr Macdougall and Jorrocks advised
should be done in the emergency. These both, however, came to the same
opinion as the skipper, that scudding would be the best course to pursue
under the circumstances--although, like him, they were well aware that
the difficulty which faced us all consisted, not so much in running
before the wind, as in managing to get the vessel's head round so as to
do it without broaching or letting her to.

Still, the manoeuvre had to be tried as a last resource.

"I don't see that anything else can