78 THE CALL OF THE SEA 



ordinary occasion ; and although more than once 

 driven oflf the yard, they after a short time suc- 

 ceeded in loosing the sail. Amidst the roar of 

 the wind and sea, it was difficult both to hear and 

 to execute the orders that were given, so that it 

 vi^as three-quarters of an hour before we could get 

 the yards braced bye, and the maintack hauled on 

 board sharp aback — an expedient that perhaps 

 had never before been resorted to by seamen in 

 such weather ; but it had the desired effect ; the 

 ship gathered stern-way, plunging her stern into 

 the sea, washing away the gig and quarter boats, 

 and with her lower yardarms scraping the rugged 

 face of the berg, we in a few minutes reached its 

 western termination ; the "under tow," as it is 

 called, or the reaction of the water from its vertical 

 cliffs, alone preventing us being driven to atoms 

 against it. 



Sir James Ross. 



A Landsman in a Storm -n:> -^^y 



(From A Narrative of a Voyage Round the World ; trans. ) 



At Sea, ill latitude 4° North. 



A GRAY cloud, the forerunner of a storm, 



appears on the horizon ; it rises rapidly, 



charged with hail, spreads itself out afar, covers 



great part of the sky, darkens the atmosphere, and 



