hough he had expected every moment to hear the shout of his name in the
confused clamour that had suddenly beset his ship. Its increase filled
his ears while he was getting ready to go out and confront whatever it
might mean. It was tumultuous and very loud--made up of the rush of the
wind, the crashes of the sea, with that prolonged deep vibration of the
air, like the roll of an immense and remote drum beating the charge of
the gale.

He stood for a moment in the light of the lamp, thick, clumsy, shapeless
in his panoply of combat, vigilant and red-faced.

"There's a lot of weight in this," he muttered.

As soon as he attempted to open the door the wind caught it. Clinging
to the handle, he was dragged out over the doorstep, and at once found
himself engaged with the wind in a sort of personal scuffle whose
object was the shutting of that door. At the last moment a tongue of air
scurried in and licked out the flame of the lamp.

Ahead of the ship he perceived a great darkness lying upon a multitude
of white flashes; on the starboard beam a few amazing stars drooped, dim
and fitful, above an immense waste of broken seas, as if seen through a
mad drift of smoke.

On the bridge a knot of men, indistinct and toiling, were making great
efforts in the light of the wheelhouse windows that shone mistily on
their heads and backs. Suddenly darkness closed upon one pane, then on
another. The voices of the lost group reached him after the manner of
men's voices in a gale, in shreds and fragments of forlorn shouting
snatched past the ear. All at once Jukes appeared at his side, yelling,
with his head down.

"Watch--put in--wheelhouse shutters--glass--afraid--blow in."

Jukes heard his commander upbraiding.

"This--come--anything--warning--call me."

He tried to explain, with the uproar pressing on his lips.

"Light air--remained--bridge--sudden--north-east--could
turn--thought--you--sure--hear."

They had gained the shelter of the weather-cloth, and could converse
with raised voices, as people quarrel.

"I got the hands along to cover up all the ventilators. Good job I had
remained on deck. I didn't think you would be asleep, and so . . . What
did you say, sir? What?"

"Nothing," cried Captain MacWhirr. "I said--all right."

"By all the powers! We've got it this time," observed Jukes in a howl.

"You haven't altered her course?" inquired Captain MacWhirr, straining
his voice.

"No, sir. Certainly not. Wind came