But the dodge succeeded all the same, and likewise had the advantage of
steadying the vessel, which did not roll nearly so much when the after
sail was hoisted, with the sheet hauled in to leeward; although, the
Silver Queen bent over when she felt it, as if running on a bowline,
notwithstanding that the wind was almost dead aft and she spurring on
before it.

As the night came on it darkened more, the moon disappearing altogether
and the sky becoming completely covered with black angry clouds; while
heavy showers of cold rain pelted down on us at intervals from midnight
till "four bells" in the middle watch.

Then the rain ceased and the heavens cleared a bit, a few stars peeping
out; and the phosphorescent light from the sea enabled us to have a good
view of the boiling waves around us, still heaving and tossing as far as
the eye could reach, although the wind was perceptibly lessening.

An hour later its force had fallen to that of a strong breeze, and the
captain had the topsails and mizzen-topgallant set, carrying on still
full pitch to the north-east, notwithstanding that just before dawn it
became pitch dark again and we couldn't see a cable's length ahead.

The starboard watch had been relieved shortly before this, but Mr
Saunders remained up, as indeed had most of us since the previous
afternoon; while Captain Gillespie, indeed, never left the deck once
since the first suspicion of the typhoon.

He now yawned, however, the long strain and fatigue beginning to tell on
him.

"I think I'll go below," he said; and, turning to Mr Mackay, all
amiable again, especially at having carried his point of "carrying on"
successfully in spite of the first mate's caution, he remarked with a
sniff, "You see, Mackay, we've gone on all right and met no dangers, and
it'll puzzle those blessed pirates, if they're yet in the land of the
living, to find us at daybreak!"

Just as he uttered these words, however, there was a tremendous shock
forwards that threw us all off our feet, succeeded by a peculiar grating
feeling under the ship's keel, after which, her heaving and rolling
ceased as if she had suddenly sailed from amidst the waves into the calm
water of some sheltered harbour. A second shock followed soon, but not
so violent as the first; and then, all motion ceased.

"By Jingo, she's aground!" snorted out "Old Jock," scrambling to his
feet by the assistance of Mr Saunders' outstretched hand. "Where on
earth can w