THE ALBATROSS. 207 



brought us into the trough of the sea, so that we 

 were forced to wear ship to keep our decks from 

 being swept of everything and losing our boats. 

 ' Meet her when she shakes,' the mate shouted, 

 ' full for stays ! ' But when the wheel was put 

 up, and the ship had gathered headway, a great, 

 rolling swell caught her bodily, and turned her 

 over on her beam-ends. There we lay, apparently 

 undecided which way to go, trucks up or keel up. 

 I lived twenty years in twenty seconds ! Then 

 the awful moments of suspense went by. The 

 ship righted herself angrily — mad as a whale 

 in his flurry — and we came round breasting 

 the sea!" 



" A marvellous escape ! " Russell observed, with 

 the air of a mathematician about to say Q. E. D. 



" Yes, a marvellous escape ! Many a good 

 stanch hooker has gone to Davy Jones just that 

 way. I was lucky to have a long-legged ship. 

 If she had been one of those round-ribbed, flat- 

 bottomed butter-boxes they build by the mile 

 down in Maine and saw off any length you 

 order, we should surely have turned turtle and 

 never been heard from again ! " 



" Aha ! " said Russell, with a twinkle of triumph 

 in his little black eyes, " Seems to me your own 

 experience confirms the truth of my convictions ! " 



