hat he was hungering
for a word of praise to the ship that he had learned to love as though
she were flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone: so I hastened to
gratify the good fellow by eulogising--as indeed I could with the most
perfect honesty--the marvellous weatherly qualities and speed of the
ship, as also the stiffness with which she stood up under her big spread
of canvas. Had I not done so, I verily believe that my reputation as a
seaman would have shrunk very materially in my chief mate's estimation,
instead of increasing, as it immediately did.

The wind being dead fair for the run out of the Channel, we "took our
departure" from the Bill of Portland; and, packing the studding-sails
upon the willing little barkie, passed Ushant at four o'clock the next
morning--a truly wonderful run; but then our patent log showed that we
had been travelling at the rate of a fair, honest fifteen knots from the
moment that we dropped that useful machine overboard off the Bill. This
magnificent breeze followed us up for the next four days, and carried us
into the latitude of Madeira--an almost unprecedented performance; but
it must not be forgotten that it was blowing a whole gale from the
eastward all this time, or well over our larboard quarter, allowing
every thread of canvas to draw to perfection; and, finding that the
barque carried her canvas superbly, I simply let Robert have his way
with her, although I must admit that never before in my experience had I
seen a craft so boldly driven. Then--on the evening of the fifth day
out from Weymouth--the wind rapidly dwindled away to nothing, and left
us rolling heavily on the steep swell that followed us. I concluded
that we had run into the doldrums, or horse latitudes, and that we
should now probably have calms, or light baffling airs until we fell in
with the trade-winds; but on going below to turn in at midnight, I
observed that a very decided fall of the barometer had taken place. I
therefore returned to the deck for a moment and cautioned the second
mate--whose watch it was--to keep a sharp lookout for any sign of a
decided change in the weather; and gave him strict injunctions to call
me immediately that any indication of such change should become
apparent. I had some thought of remaining on deck an hour or two
longer, to personally watch the development of events; but reflecting
that I had been out of my berth for the last eighteen hours, and that,
if we were to hav