130 WAVES OF THE SEA 



the wind began to fall, and at 4 p.m. the sea was 

 slight, except for the occasional formation of a 

 larger mound of water. At 4.55 p.m. a black 

 being very dense and apparently rainy. The part, 

 head. It reached from the horizon on one side 

 of us to the horizon on the other side, the two ends 

 being very dense and apparently rainy. The part 

 of the cloud directly overhead was thin, and dis- 

 charged only a few small drops of rain. The 

 passage overhead of this central part was accom- 

 panied by only a slight additional breath of wind, 

 but with it came a big swell, comprising 1 2 or 

 more large waves, and the ship, previously steady, 

 began to roll heavily. In 5 minutes the cloud had 

 passed, and in another i o minutes the sea had quite 

 returned to its former state. 



These observations relate to squalls occurring 

 towards the end of stormy weather, coming upon a 

 fairly large swell running in the same general 

 direction as the wind. They show that (according 

 to my guesses of height) a sudden increase of wind 

 can restore the height of waves at the rate of I or 

 2 feet per minute. They illustrate the fact that, 

 when the system of travelling ridges is already 

 formed, the wind, falling into eddies between them, 

 has greater power to raise the crests and depress 

 the troughs, a power of swift and immediate action 





