Part 25 (1/2)

”I shall never see the Horn, Peter; I a”

Two days after this land was sighted on the starboard bow It proved to be Staten Island; but scarcely e to the south of it e encountered a furious gale blowing fro close hauled, the captain endeavoured to gain ground to the ard, resolved, as he declared, ”to thrash the shi+p round the Cape” On the third day, however, while I was on deck, a tre up

”Look out! Hold on for your lives, lads!” shouted the firstto whatever was nearest to hi the sea, which, like a ed into it, and for a few seconds I thought would never rise again On swept the roaring torrent, deluging the deck; and had not the hatches been battened doould have half filled her

A loud, crashi+ng sound followed, and when the water had passed over us nearly all the lee bulwarks were gone, and with the a ain seen, and one down at once

The captain was compelled at last to heave the shi+p to, and there we lay, now rising to the top of a sea, now sinking into the trough, alls of water, half as high as the main-top, round us The seas in the Ger to be coh, perhaps, equally dangerous

As soon as I went below, I hurried to the side of Esdale He asked what had happened I told him

”Some one was carried overboard?” he inquired

”Yes,” I said ”Poor Jack Norris,” wondering how he knew it

”And I shall soon follow hiht, as I came off my watch and was about to turn in, I heard my messoing,” he whispered ”Good-bye, Peter; you'll remember what I have said to you?”

I promised him I would, and told him I must run and call the doctor

”No, stay,” he said ”He can do ood Tell him I thank him for his kindness Good-bye, Peter”

The next instant his hand relaxed its hold ofdown over him I found he had ceased to breathe

So died one of thehe was sewn up in canvas, with a shot at his feet, and brought on deck The captain stood aft watching the proceedings

Whether he felt he had hastened Esdale's death I know not; but his countenance was stern and glooht The boldest seaman on board would not have dared just then to speak to hiale threatening to carry our only sail out of the bolt-ropes was blowing; the ed round us; there was scarce ti billow caainst the bows; over the deck it swept

We clung for our lives to ropes, stanchions, and ring-bolts When it had passed we found that it had borne our young shi+prave

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

ROUNDING CAPE HORN

For well-nigh six weeks ere endeavouring to get round Cape Horn, when the weatherdriven back often over ained

The captain was constantly on deck, exhibiting on all occasions his splendid seae of the least change of hich would enable us to lay our course Day and night were alike to hi wind and trehted Cape Horn, but each tiain to the eastward of it The captain thought he could endure anything, and certainly did not expose others more than he did hieons, stormy-petrels (or Mother Carey's chickens, as they are called), and many more The albatross appeared to h the weather or how heavy the sea, he sat on the water perfectly at ease, see got a strong line with a large hook at the end of it, a piece of meat as bait, and a cork to float it, let it drop astern In an instant a huge albatross pounced down on the te bait, and was hooked It required two men, however, to draw hiht on deck he attacked everyone who cas and beak, but Horner thoughtlessly held out his hat, when the bird, seizing hold of it, bit the crown clean out in a moment Not until he had had several blows on the head with a handspike did he drop dead He s The feathers under his wings and breast were as white as snow, and as they glanced in the sunlight, shone like silver

In contrast with the albatross was the storer than a sparrow, and, of course, web-footed Vast numbers flew about the shi+p, but they were ain we sighted Cape Horn, standing out solitary and grand into the Southern Ocean The wind had h the vast billows rolled on likemountains of water Now the shi+p forced her way to the sulide down rapidly into the vale below, perforth even the billows subsided, and we began to look forward to having fine weather About noon one day the look-out from the masthead shouted--