THE ALBATROSS. 213 



thunder. I had to watch him as you watch a 

 madman. 



At seven bells that morning, the steward had 

 got the racks on the table, and was putting our 

 breakfast in readiness. I was below at the 

 moment. The ship was pitching and heaving till 

 I thought she would jump the sticks out of her. 

 Suddenly she brought a tremendous roll to star- 

 board. I shouted to the cabin-boy, " Look out for 

 the table ! " but the words were no more than 

 spoken when everything slid off on to the floor 

 with forty different kinds of jingles and crashes 

 all at once. My wife shrieked with terror ; she 

 thought we were wrecked ; she rushed from the 

 state-room in her night-gown, and just at that 

 moment a monstrous wave pooped the Thomas 

 Pope, and burst over the ship's port quarter. 

 Tons of salt water came pounding through the 

 sky-light into the after-cabin, and Mrs. Robbins 

 arrived upon the scene at the one happy moment 

 when she would get the full benefit of it. That 

 sea-going wife of mine has no taste for immer- 

 sion ; but on that memorable morning she could 

 not choose but submit. As I said at the time, 

 that big, cold billow baptized her for the 

 Tndian Ocean. 



I was glad, a few days later, that it had done 

 so, for after so tremendous an initiation she never 



