us how,
during a cyclone which he rode out in the HOTSPUR at Sandheads, the
mouth of the Hooghly, the three naked topgallant-masts of his ship,
though of well-tested timber a foot in diameter, and supported by all
the usual network of stays, and without the yards, were snapped off and
carried away solely by the violence of the wind. It must, of course,
have been an extreme gust, which did not last many seconds, for no cable
that was ever forged would have held the ship against such a cataclysm
as that. This gentleman's integrity is above suspicion, so that no
exaggeration could be charged against him, and he had the additional
testimony of his officers and men to this otherwise incredible fact.

The terrible day wore on, without any lightening of the tempest, till
noon, when the wind suddenly fell to a calm. Until that time, the sea,
although heavy, was not vicious or irregular, and we had not shipped
any heavy water at all. But when the force of the wind was suddenly
withdrawn, such a sea arose as I have never seen before or since. Inky
mountains of water raised their savage heads in wildest confusion,
smashing one another in whirlpools of foam. It was like a picture of the
primeval deep out of which arose the new-born world. Suddenly out of
the whirling blackness overhead the moon appeared, nearly in the zenith,
sending down through the apex of a dome of torn and madly gyrating cloud
a flood of brilliant light. Illumined by that startling radiance, our
staunch and seaworthy ship was tossed and twirled in the hideous vortex
of mad sea until her motion was distracting. It was quite impossible to
loose one's hold and attempt to do anything without running the imminent
risk of being dashed to pieces. Our decks were full of water now, for
it tumbled on board at all points; but as yet no serious weight of a sea
had fallen upon us, nor had any damage been done. Such a miracle as that
could not be expected to continue for long. Suddenly a warning shout
rang out from somewhere--"Hold on all, for your lives!" Out of the
hideous turmoil around arose, like some black, fantastic ruin, an awful
heap of water. Higher and higher it towered, until it was level with our
lower yards, then it broke and fell upon us. All was blank. Beneath that
mass every thought, every feeling, fled but one--"How long shall I
be able to hold my breath?" After what seemed a never-ending time, we
emerged from the wave more dead than alive, but with the good