X.] MARCHES A TRAVERSES THE STORM CENTRE. 231 



had anticipated, the wind which wa.g by that time N.E. had 

 moderated considerably. In a short time it had fallen ahnost to a 

 dead calm. A tremendously confused sea was running, apparently 

 from the meetinsj of waves from the N.E. and S.E., and the 

 water shot up in all directions in huge fountains in a most 

 extraordinary manner. 



At 1.30 the calm was broken by a fresh breeze which sprang 

 up from the S.E., gradually backing to IST.E., and blew so steadily that 

 it might have led a landsman to the conclusion that the hurricane 

 was over. But the still falling glass told another story, and we 

 knew that, in all probability, the worst was still to come. Both 

 the aneroid and the mercurial barometers at this period exhibited 

 a curious phenomenon which is occasionally noticed at the time of 

 a typhoon. The needle of the former flickered constantly, and the 

 mercury rose and fell in a peculiar manner not due in any way 

 to ordinary " pumping," and hitherto not seen during the earlier 

 part of the storm. It was a suggestive and not very pleasing sight, 

 and indeed the period of calm during wliich we awaited the 

 commencement of the second act of Nature's performance was any- 

 thing but agreeable. 



At 5.30 P.M., the vessel being as nearly as we could judge in 

 Lat. 42° K, Long. 144° 46' E., the barometer stood at its lowest 

 point (28*77 inches), and shortly afterwards began to rise. The 

 IST.E. wind had died away, and the weather was somewhat clearer. 

 Suddenly, however, a thick black haze appeared in the N.W. 

 advancing with great rapidity, and in less than two minutes we 

 were in a gale. By a quarter past six it had increased to a hurri- 

 cane. No defined limit between air and water seemed to exist. 

 At first the terrific violence of the wind seemed almost to beat 

 down the confused but heavy sea that was running from the east- 

 ward, but it was not long before we were flying through the water 

 before a tremendous following sea. The wind appeared to hurl off 

 the tops of the waves en masse, covering the yacht from stern to 

 stem with continuous sheets of water, and as it was evident that 



