The Wreck of the Nancy Bell | Page 9

right to speak."
"Oh, papa!" exclaimed Kate Meldrum reproachfully, "how could you
say that?" while Florry pinched his arm and seemed convulsed with
laughter, which she endeavoured to choke down in vain, at some secret
joke or other; but Captain Dinks, quite restored to his usual
good-humour and politeness by Mr Meldrum's apology, did not notice
the girls, and presently all were chatting together with the utmost
cordiality, the captain enlarging on the excellent run he hoped to make
to New Zealand, and promising the young ladies that they should see
Madeira ere the week was out, for he anticipated that the south-easterly
breeze they now had would carry them well past the Spanish coast and
into the north-east trades, when their voyage would be all plain sailing
down to the Equator.
How true, however, is the old adage, "Man proposes and God
disposes!"
While the captain was chatting gaily with his passengers, another
change was taking place in the appearance of the heavens. The heavy,
threatening clouds, which had risen up after breakfast and been swept
away to leeward by the south-east wind as it got up, were now slowly
being banked up along the horizon to the northward and westward, the
haze extending down to the south right ahead of the vessel's track,
while a lot of scud began to be seen flying aloft at a very considerable
rate--not from but towards the point from which the breeze was
blowing, a sign that betokened not merely another shift of the wind, but
a squall, and one not to be trifled with either!
The obscuring of the sun by the drift was the first thing that called the

captain's attention to the altered state of the weather, and he at once
gave the order--"All hands shorten sail!" the mate rushing forwards to
see the details properly carried out.
The order did not come an instant too soon.
All at once, in a moment, the wind, which had previously been blowing
strongly from the south-east, died away and it was dead calm; while the
sea--already rough enough with the short chopping waves of the
morning-- began to run with those huge billows that seem to get up
almost without preparation on the advent of a gale, every second
growing more mountainous.
At the captain's word of command, re-echoed by Mr McCarthy, the
crew had sprung aloft immediately; and, working with a will, had
furled the topgallant-sails, taken in the flying-jib, hauled up the
mainsail and mizzen-trysail and squared the after yards, when the ship
resembled a gladiator, entering the arena of the prize-ring stripped for a
fight, as she thus awaited the approach of the storm.
In the south-east the sky was clear and cloudless, but in the opposite
direction dark heavy purple masses of vapour rolled over each other,
more unnatural in appearance owing to a lighter cloud covering the
curling, wreathing fluid as if with a veil. Shooting from this dark pile of
clouds, some few were detached and became separated, rising to a
higher region of the air, in which they were dissipated and blown out
like mares'-tails that passed rapidly across the zenith; whilst on the
water, and about a mile or so from the vessel, the sea appeared covered
with a thick white mist, before which ran a dark line of black.
Mr Meldrum had sent the girls below the moment Captain Dinks had
given his orders to shorten sail, in spite of their entreaties to be allowed
to remain on deck with him and "see the storm;" so, being now alone,
he stationed himself near the binnacle close to the captain.
As he stood watching the lull before the break of the squall, he felt a
hand touching his shoulder; and looking round he found his fellow
passenger, Mr Zachariah Lathrope, by his side.

"Jee-hosophat! mister," said the American; "I guess we're goin' to have
a blizzard, and no mistake!"
"What's a blizzard?" said Mr Meldrum, smiling at the other's nasal
intonation, which was more marked than usual, even for a citizen of the
land of the setting sun.
"Why, darn my moccasins, deon't yew know what a blizzard is?"
Mr Meldrum shook his head in the negative: he felt that he should
laugh outright in the other's face if he opened his mouth to speak, and
he did not wish to appear wanting in politeness.
"Waal," said the American, drawing himself up, as if proud of his
superior knowledge and ability in being able to enlighten a backward
Britisher. "A blizzard's a hurricane and a tornader and a cyclone, all
biled inter one all fired smash and let loose to sweep creation. We have
'em to rights out Minnesota way; and let me tell you, mister, when
you've ten through the mill in one, you