THE OCEAN VOYAGE 85 



the shore and the transparent blue-green of the high sea 

 was very striking. We noticed the air thickening near 

 by, but before it began to rain we could distinguish a 

 large number of English fishing-boats at anchor. Being 

 compelled to turn aside, we lost sight of land within half 

 an hour. The breeze grew stronger every minute and 

 one sail after the other was taken in; when darkness over- 

 took us we had only the doubly-fitted Mars and storm- 

 bridge-sails up. Of course nobody slept during that 

 night. The groaning and lamenting of the steerage pas- 

 sengers and various other noises from the different parts 

 of the shit), together with the creaking of the vessel, com- 

 bined to produce a turmoil, compared with which the de- 

 struction of Sodom and Gomorrah was evidently a mild 

 affair. This confusion and noise continued during the 

 whole night. 



The long looked-for morning dawned at last and, as the 

 rain was not as heavy as before, we— that is, the few who 

 remained well— went on deck to breathe the fresh air. 

 Though 1 have since lived through many a storm, among 

 which this one was in reality not to be counted, yet there 

 has not been one that caused as much sickening and un- 

 bearable commotion in the steerage as was experienced 

 during that night; it baffled one's powers of description. 



The wind changed suddenly to Northwest about seven 

 o'clock in the morning, which had the effect of moder- 

 ating the weather and clearing the sky. Then came a 

 busy time of setting sails, when we made great speed un- 

 der good wind. We saw again many vessels and at one 

 o'clock there came an English fishing-sloop alongside to 

 sell fish. Soon after the color of the water changed into 

 a dirty, greyish green, giving evidence that we were ap- 

 proaching land, which we sighted at 5:30 o'clock. There 

 were in sight the low English Dunes of Gallopers at about 

 three miles' distance. We kept sailing alongside of them 

 until eight o'clock when they vanished from sight, we 

 having taken a more southern course When night came 

 the West wind blew anew, so that the Mars-sail* had to be 



*Or top-sail, 



