the tail end of a
big wave then catching her on the quarter, she slewed round a bit; and,
the crossjack yard being braced up sharply in the nick of time, she
swung with her head to the wind, breasting the billows full butt the
next instant, instead of drifting on at their will as before.

Jan Steenbock at once let go the clewlines; and the sheets of the
mizzen-topsail, which had already been close-reefed, being hauled home,
and the piece of fearnought in the fore-rigging acting as well as a sail
there would have done, the vessel was brought to lay-to at last, riding
safely enough, considering the heavy sea that was running, and thus
showing herself a staunch boat under very trying circumstances.

"We've seen the worst of it now," shouted the skipper, trying to rub his
hands together, in token of his satisfaction, but having to leave off
and grasp the poop rail to steady himself again from the ship pitching
so much, as she met the big waves tumbling in on her bows, and rose to
them buoyantly. "The gale is moderating so the watch ken pipe down, I
guess, an' all hands splice the mainbrace!"

The men couldn't hear him clearly, but the gesture which he made, of
lifting his fist to his mouth, was sufficiently explanatory to all; and,
when he presently dived down the companion and appeared at the cabin
door under the break of the poop, with the steward behind him, holding a
bottle of rum in one hand and a pannikin in the other, the men who had
so gallantly exerted themselves were to be seen standing by, ready to
receive the customary grog always served out on each occasions, fresh
hands being sent up to relieve those at the wheel, so that these should
not lose the advantage of the skipper's generosity--which was somewhat
unexpected from one of his temper!

Later on, there was a glorious sunset, the black clouds all clearing
away, and the heavens glowing with red and gold, as the orb of day sank
below the horizon.

This showed that we were going to have the chance of a finer spell than
we had been having; and, the wind soon afterwards shifting to the
westward, the foretop-mast-staysail was hoisted, followed shortly by the
reefed-foresail and main-trysail, the skipper setting all the fore and
aft sail he could to make up for the loss of our topsails, which, it may
be remembered, were blown away.

The ship was then brought round on the starboard tack, and put on her
proper course again, for us to make another attempt to we