298 NOTES. 



masts are sent down, and when he casts his eye aloft, the 

 naked spars and rigging strike a sort of chill an unusual sen- 

 sation to his heart. He looks to windward and to leeward, 

 ahead and astern ; there is nothing to be seen save the foam- 

 clad billows in wild commotion. 



Night comes, and no moon not even a solitary star visible 

 to cheer his sight ; the land is hundreds of miles distant ; he 

 casts his eye upward to the heavens, the sky looks black ; he 

 leans over the bulwarks, and peers away into the awful gloom 

 around, nothing is to be seen, nothing is to be heard save the 

 howling blast, the surging waters, and the creaking of the 

 vessel. Wave succeeds wave, dashing with violence against 

 the ship's side, the darkness is almost palpable, he cannot dis- 

 tinguish a shipmate at the distance of a few feet, the ship 

 labours heavily, and seems to struggle with the angry element 

 as if conscious of the dread hour. 



Then a man will think , ay, and his conscience will some- 

 times speak; strange thoughts, like unbidden guests, will at 

 such times intrude themselves into his mind, whether wel- 

 come or not. He goes to his hammock and tries to sleep, but 

 from the pitching and rolling of the ship it is almost impos- 

 sible to rest ; the night passes slowly and uneasily away in 

 broken dreams and fearful fancies, and at length, when day- 

 light comes, he discovers that the storm has increased in vio- 

 lence. Few words pass among his shipmates ; perhaps a loud 

 oath from some would-be reckless companion salutes his ear, 

 which, if uttered at other times, would pass unheeded, but 

 now, for some reason which he is at a loss to explain, sounds 

 strangely out of place. The cheeks of some of the hardiest 

 turn pale, and the restless glances of others betray the uneasy 

 feelings within. 



He will at such times reflect on the past, the present, and 

 the future ; what would have been the consequence if, on the 

 previous night, some other vessel, imperceptible in the dark- 

 ness, had come in collision with his ; he shudders at the thought, 

 and perhaps, at that moment, the idea will suggest itself that 



