290 PRAIRIE AND FOREST. 



ond mate, a practice he always followed when on the coast. 

 The motion was just sufficient to lull me to sleep, and soon 

 my eyes were closed to the outer world. Three hours at 

 the utmost must I have been asleep, when the violence of 

 the motion, the stamping on deck, thoroughly aroused me 

 from my slumbers. From the even keel that we had been 

 on a few hours before, we now careened so far over that I 

 found it next to impossible to brace myself in my berth ; 

 the wind fairly screeched through the rigging, and the 

 racket caused by chairs and other movables adrift, ban- 

 ished slumber for the time being. At length I could re- 

 main no longer below, from a desire to see and ascertain 

 the nature of affairs. After many ineffectual attempts, and 

 not without assuming all kind of strange attitudes, I got 

 into my nether garments and boots, and succeeded in gain- 

 ing the upper regions. The scene was truly terrific; the 

 sea was wild with agitation ; billow after billow rolled past, 

 crested with foam, while the blast fairly howled its wrath. 

 The captain stood aft, holding on to the weather mainstay, 

 occasionally giving an order to the men at the wheel. 

 From the spread of canvas we had formerly carried, we 

 were now reduced to a close-reefed mainsail, foresail, and 

 storm- jib. Sometimes the vessel would appear to jump, as 

 she would leave the top of one roller to reach the next. 

 Nobly the gallant craft bore the ordeal, and splendidly did 

 she behave ; still, the cool self - possession of the captain 

 failed to prevent my thinking how much better I should be 

 satisfied to be again standing on terra firma, and, although 

 pride prevented my making the confession, I internally reg- 

 istered a vow that, if I ever again placed my foot on land, 

 nothing should again tempt me to trust my safety on board 

 a coaster. 



But to my narrative. With each hour the gale increased, 

 and to such violence that the gallant schooner was moment- 



