3. WINDS AND WAVES 



'Sudden gale!' Benjle repeats with an Immense 

 scorn for the weather-foolish. 'Sudden, did 'ee 

 say? I've a-see'd this here coming these three 

 days past. Didn't want no barometers for to 

 foretell this, n'eet no newspapers nuther. They 

 things ! Why, 'tis the sky tells me, and the sea, 

 and the clouds; an' they'd tell you too. If you 

 studied 'em like I do. DIdn' 'ee see they wool- 

 packs lying low down on the horizon the day 

 before yesterday? I did. "Ah, me boys!" says 

 I, "you'm waiting there an' looking at us. You'm 

 coming!" Didn' 'ee see this wind blowing out- 

 side there, out in the offing, last night? Black 

 'twas on the water, black as pitch, an' I see'd 

 the water turning up white; an' in here 'twas a flat 

 calm. 'Bout ten o'clock I see'd the little billow 

 coming in. "Here 'tis then!" I says. "Come 

 along if you'm coming." Lord! when I was out 



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