s really seasick, and took little note of passing events, being
stretched on the deck, a coil of rope, or a chest, musing on the past
or indulging in gloomy reflections in regard to the future. Seasickness
never paints ideal objects of a roseate hue. Although I was not called
upon for much actual work, I received no sympathy for my miserable
condition; for seasickness, like the toothache, is seldom fatal,
notwithstanding it is as distressing a malady as is found in the
catalogue of diseases, and one for which no preventive or cure,
excepting time, has yet been discovered. Time is a panacea for every
ill; and after the lapse of ten or twelve days, as the brig was drawing
towards the latitude of Bermuda, my sickness disappeared as suddenly as
it commenced; and one pleasant morning I threw aside my shore dress, and
with it my landsman's habits and feelings. I donned my short jacket and
trousers, and felt every inch a sailor!

The Bermudas are a cluster of small islands and rocks lying in the track
of vessels bound from New England to the West Indies. The climate is
mild, and the atmosphere remarkably salubrious, while the trace of ocean
in the vicinity has long been noted for severe squalls at every season
of the year. A squall at sea no unusual occurrence is often the cause
of anxiety, being attended with danger. Sometimes the rush of wind is so
violent that nothing will resist its fury, and before the alarm is given
and the canvas reduced, the masts are blown over the side or the vessel
capsized. Therefore, on the approach of a squall, a vigilant officer
will be prepared for the worst, by shortening sail and making other
arrangements for averting the threatened danger.

I hardly knew how it happened, but one afternoon when we were a little
to the northward of Bermuda, and should have kept a lookout for squalls,
we were favored with a visit from one of a most energetic character.
Its sudden approach from under the lee was either unnoticed or unheeded
until the captain accidentally came on deck. He was instantly aware of
the perilous condition of the brig, for the "white caps" of the waves
could be distinctly seen, and even the roar of the wind could be heard
as it rushed towards us over the water. Before any orders could be
executed before the sails could be taken in, the yards braced round,
or even the helm shifted, the tempest broke over us. The rain fell
in torrents, the wind blew with tremendous violence, and a scene