heets flying.

Along with the pampero came a terrific shower of hail that lacerated our
faces and almost took away our breath for the moment; but, never heeding
this, on the skipper issuing his orders, we were up aloft again reefing
topsails in a jiffey, and, as soon as the halliards had been manned and
the yards rehoisted, the courses were furled and the jib hauled down,
the fore-topmast staysail being set in its place. Everything being now
made snug, the vessel was brought once more round to her course on the
starboard tack, heading a little to the westward of south.

To the hail succeeded a heavy storm of rain; and then, the pampero
having blown itself out by its sudden frenzy, a short calm now came on,
after which the wind chopped round to the old quarter, the southwards
and eastwards, bringing us back again to the port tack as we steered
between the Falkland Islands and the South American continent--keeping
in closer to the land now, for any fresh wind that might spring up would
be certain to come from off shore.

The day of the pampero, however, did not pass by before another incident
happened on board the _Esmeralda_.

When "all hands" were called, of course Mr Macdougall came up too; and,
although he did not go aloft the same as I did to help in reefing
topsails and furl the canvas--for he was neither so young nor so active
as myself, and besides, it was not his place as first mate of the ship
thus to aid the crew in doing the practical part of their duty--yet, on
deck, he was of much assistance to the skipper in seeing that his
different orders were promptly executed at the moment required; being
not chary either of lending a hand at a brace when help was necessary,
and exerting himself as much as any one, in a way very unusual for him.

So now, when the pampero had passed away and the excitement was over,
Captain Billings, in his joyful exuberance of feeling at the _Esmeralda_
having weathered the peril, went up to him and shook hands cordially.

"Hurrah, Macdougall!" he exclaimed, "the old barquey has been too much
for my River Plate bully of a pampero."

"Aye, mon, she's weethered it weel, I ween," replied the mate, accepting
the proffered pledge of restored friendship; and he was shaking away at
the skipper's fist as if he was never going to relinquish its grasp,
when, suddenly, the calm came on that I have mentioned, and the sails
flapped against the masts heavily, shaking the ship and making the
r