he
south-west and west, and towards noon it slackened again; but no
importance was attached to this circumstance, at first, by the captain
and Mr Mackay, although, when presently the water became thick and a
deep irregular swell set in, they both grew rather uneasy.

"It looks uncommon like a typhoon, sir," said the first mate to "Old
Jock," after looking out both to windward and leeward. "There is some
change coming."

"I think so, too," said the other. "Go down, Mackay, and have a look at
the barometer. It was all right when I came up, but it may have fallen
since then; if it has, that will make our doubt a certainty."

"Aye, aye, sir," replied the first mate hurrying down the companion. He
wasn't long absent, returning the next moment with the information: "It
has gone down from 29.80 to 29.60."

"That means a typhoon, then," said Captain Gillespie; "so the sooner
we're prepared for it the better. All hands take in sail!"

The men tumbled up with a will, the sheets all flying as the halliards
we're let go and all hands on the yard like bees; and, as soon as the
topgallants had been clewed up, these sails were furled and lashed, as
well as having the sea-gaskets put on, so as to make them all the more
secure.

The topsails followed suit, and then the courses; the ship's head being
brought round to the nor'-west, from which quarter the storm was
expected, as typhoons always blow eight points to the right of the
regular wind, which with us, at the time these precautions were taken,
was from the south-east.

The Silver Queen now lay-to, motionless in the water, with only her main
trysail and a storm staysail forward set.

"What is a typhoon?" I asked Mr Mackay, when I got down on deck again
after helping to hand the mizzen-topsail, the last job we had to do on
our mast. "What does it mean?"

"It's the Chinese word for a `big wind,' my boy," said he kindly; but
looking very grave. "You'll soon be able to see what it's like for
yourself."

The opportunity he spoke of was not long delayed.

By the time the sails had been taken in and all our preparations made
for the reception of our expected but unwelcome visitor, everything
being lashed down that was likely to get blown away, and life-lines rove
along the deck fore and aft, the same as when we were making ready to
weather the Cape of Good Hope, it was late in the afternoon.

At four o'clock, the commencement of the first dog-watch, the barometer
ha