all uproar and apparent confusion;
sails slewed round, ropes rattled, and blocks creaked, while the
sonorous voice of the first mate sounded commands like a trumpet from
the quarter-deck.

"I see no indication of a storm," remarked young Sinton, as the captain
walked aft.

"Possibly not, lad; but _I_ do. The barometer has fallen lower, all of
a sadden, than I ever saw it fall before. You may depend upon it, we
shall have to look out for squalls before long. Just cast your eyes on
the horizon over the weather bows there; it's not much of a cloud, and,
to say truth, I would not have thought much of it had the glass remained
steady, but that faithful servant never--"

"Better close-reef the top-sails, sir," said the mate, touching his cap,
and pointing to the cloud just referred to.

"Do so, Mr Williams, and let the watch below remain on deck, and stand
by to man the halyards."

In less than an hour the _Roving Bess_ was running at the rate of twelve
knots, under close-reefed top-sails, before a steady gale, which in
half-an-hour later increased to a hurricane, compelling them to take in
all sail and "lay to." The sun set in a blaze of mingled black and
lurid clouds, as if the heavens were on fire; the billows rose to their
utmost height as the shrieking winds heaved them upwards, and then,
cutting off their crests, hurled the spray along like driving clouds of
snow, and dashed it against the labouring ship, as if impatient to
engulf her in that ravening maw which has already swallowed up so many
human victims.

But the little vessel faced the tempest nobly, and rose like a sea-mew
on the white crest of each wave, while the steersmen--for there were two
lashed to the wheel--kept her to the wind. Suddenly the sheet of the
fore trysail parted, the ship came up to the wind, and a billow at that
moment broke over her, pouring tons of water on her deck, and carrying
away the foremast, main-top-masts, and the jib-boom.

"Clear the wreck--down the helm, and let her scud," shouted the captain,
who stood by the mizzen-mast, holding on to a belaying-pin. But the
captain's voice was drowned by the whistling winds, and, seeing that the
men were uncertain what to do, he seized one of the axes which were
lashed to the foot of the mast, and began to cut away the ropes which
dragged the wreck of the foremast under the lee of the ship. Williams,
the mate, and the second mate, followed his example, while Ned sprang to
the wh