HEAVY GALE. — WATER-SPOUTS. 153 



aspect of the scene was changed ; immense dark 

 banks of clouds rested on the contracted horizon ; 

 the coral islands by which we were surrounded 

 loomed indistinctly through the driving mist ; and 

 the decks were drenched by heavy showers that oc- 

 curred at intervals. The wind blew hardest from 

 W. N. W., and began to moderate about nine 

 on the morning of the 4th, when it had got round 

 to south-west. The current during this breeze set 

 a mile and a half E. S. E., changing again to the 

 northward as the wind veered round to the south- 

 ward. This clearly shews how certainly, in this 

 neighbourhood, the movements of the air influence 

 those of the sea. 



It was the evening of the 5th before all was 

 again clear overhead. In the morning, however, 

 we shifted our berth, which had been a mile from 

 the south extreme of the detached cluster of islets 

 forming the north-east end of Easter Group. Several 

 small water-spouts formed near the ship as we were 

 about to weigh, which induced us to wait a little 

 until they passed. 



On the 8th we bore away for the northern group 

 in 26 and 27 fathoms ; the space between was 

 named Middle Passage. Passing outside of a 

 patch of breakers, lying two miles to the north- 

 ward of the eastern islet, we hauled up south-east, 

 and by feeling our way with the boats got the ship 

 into a snug harbour on the south-east side of the 

 highest island of the Abrolhos, which was afterwards 



