ship; but even allowing for that, it was unquestionably running
far higher than anything I had ever seen before.

I have read somewhere that scientific men assert that even in the
heaviest gales and in mid-ocean the sea never attains a greater height
than twenty feet from trough to crest; but with all due respect to them
and their science-founded opinions, I take leave to assert that they are
in this instance mistaken.

An intelligent sailor (and I modestly claim to be at least this much) is
as capable of judging the height of a sea as the most scientific of
mortals; and I am confident of this, that _many_ of the seas I watched
that morning ran as high as our cross-trees, which were a trifle over
thirty feet above the surface of the water.

Indeed, to satisfy myself _thoroughly_ upon this point I climbed so high
(with the utmost difficulty, and at very great risk of being blown
overboard), and whilst looking over the cross-trees, I saw the crest of
more than one sea rearing itself between my eye and the horizon.

So far the _Water Lily_ had weathered the gale scatheless; there was not
so much as a ropeyarn out of its place or carried away; and as there
seemed to be no greater danger than there had been through the night,
and as I had taken a good look round when aloft without seeing anything,
we both went below to enjoy the comfort of the cabin, for on deck
everything was cold, wet, and dismal in the extreme.

I was anxious to get a sight of the sun at noon, if possible, so as to
ascertain our exact latitude. I knew we were not very far to the
southward of Staten; and I did not know but there might be a current
setting us toward it, in which case we might find ourselves very
awkwardly situated.

It looked half inclined to break away two or three times during the
morning; but as mid-day approached it became as bad as ever, and I had
the vexation of seeing noon pass by without so much as a momentary
glimpse of the sun.

Towards evening, therefore, I took advantage of an exceptionally clear
moment, and again scrambled aloft and took a thorough good look all
round, and especially to the northward. There was nothing in sight, and
with this I was obliged to rest satisfied.

We noticed just about this time that the seas were beginning to break on
board again, so I concluded that our bottle of oil was exhausted, and
accordingly got out another, and having bored holes in the cork, as I
had done with the first, it was