idges
into valleys of foam like half-melted snow, and it was blowing pretty
well half a gale now from the north-west, to which point the wind had
hauled round, it was keeping steady in that quarter, for the barometer
remained high, and the Silver Queen, heading south-west by south, was
bending well over so that her lee-side was flush almost with the
swelling water. She was racing along easily, and presented a perfect
picture, with the sun bringing out her white clouds of canvas in
stronger contrast against the clear blue sky overhead and tumbling ocean
around, and making the glass of the skylight and bits of brass-work
about on the deck gleam with a golden radiance as it slowly sank below
the horizon, a great globe of fire like a molten mass of metal on our
weather bow, the vessel keeping always on the same starboard tack, for
she wore round as the wind shifted.

Oh, yes, we were going; and so, evidently, Captain Gillespie thought
when he came up the companion presently and took his place alongside Mr
Mackay on the poop.

"This is splendid!" said he, rubbing his hands as usual and addressing
the first mate, while I crept away further aft, holding on to the
bulwarks to preserve my footing, the deck being inclined at such a sharp
angle from the ship heeling over with the wind. "I don't know when the
old barquey ever went so free."

"Nor I, sir," replied the other with equal enthusiasm; "she's fairly
outdoing herself. We never had such a voyage before, I think, sir."

"No," said the captain. "A good start, a fairish wind and plenty of it,
a decent crew as far as I can judge as yet, and every prospect of a good
voyage. What more can a man wish for?"

"Nothing, sir."

"And I forgot, Mackay, while speaking of our luck, for you know I like
to be particular, and when I say a thing I mean a thing--no stowaways on
board!"

"True, sir," responded the first mate with a laugh, knowing the
captain's great abhorrence of these uninvited and unwelcome passengers.
"I think it's the first voyage we've never been troubled with one."

"Aye, aye, they're getting afraid of me, Mackay, that's the reason,"
said Captain Gillespie chuckling at this. "They've heard tell of the
way I treat all such swindling rascals, and know that when I say a thing
I mean a thing!"

His satisfaction, however, was short-lived; for, just then, several
confused cries and a general commotion was heard forward.

"Hullo!" cried the captain, staggering