e working well, but the captain's voice
came up loud from the quarter-deck, "Work steady, lads, but work all you
can! Every minute is of consequence!"

Jack looked round the horizon, but could see nothing to account for this
urgency. The sun was nearly overhead--a ball of glowing fire, and yet,
Jack thought, less bright than usual, for he could look at it steadily,
and its circle was clear and well defined. From that point right away
down to the horizon the dull heavy-looking sky stretched away unbroken
by a single cloud.

As soon as the topgallant-sails were furled the upper spars were sent
down, then the courses were clewed up and two of her jibs taken off her.
"Close reef the topsails!" was the next order, and when this was done,
and the men after more than an hour's work descended to the decks
drenched with perspiration, the ship was under the easiest possible
canvas--nothing but the three closely-reefed topsails, the
fore-staysail, and a small jib. Mr. Hoare and the third mate had been
aloft with the men, and as soon as all were on deck the work of coiling
away ropes, ranging the light spars, and tidying up began.

CHAPTER XVIII.

A CYCLONE.

"WHAT on earth is it all about?" Arthur Hill asked his comrades as the
three boys gathered together after the work was done. "Why, there is not
a breath of wind. Is it all done for practice, do you think?"

Jim shook his head. "I expect we are going to have one of those cyclones
Mr. Timmins was speaking about the other day, though I don't see any
signs of it, except the queer colour of the sky. I expect the glass must
have been going down very fast. There is the captain popping into his
cabin again. Well, he is not long about it," he added, as Captain
Murchison hurried out again and spoke to Mr. Timmins, who immediately
gave the order, "Furl mizzen and main topsails! Lower down the
fore-staysail!"

"Well, there can't be more to do now," Jack said, when the order was
carried out, "unless we set to work to set them all again."

"Look, Jack!" Arthur Hill said, grasping his arm and pointing away on
the starboard beam.

A wall of black mist seemed to hang upon the horizon, rising momentarily
higher and higher.

"The squall is coming, lads!" the captain shouted. "When it strikes her
hold on for your lives. Carpenter, put a man with an axe at each of the
weather-shrouds. We may have to cut away before we have done with it."

All eyes were now turned towards the