310 A SUMMER ON THE YENESEI 



through all the uproar, skimmed eternally round and 

 round the ship, never hastening and never rising more 

 than a few inches above the combers, chasing us cease- 

 lessly through the gale like spirits of the storm. Just 

 before midnight the wind increased, and for a minute 

 or two the Ragna rolled so heavily that to a mere 

 landlubber like myself it seemed wonderful that she 

 should ever right herself again. Then Miss Curtis cried 

 out suddenly that the timber was going overboard, and, 

 sure enough, half a dozen great logs flew over the side 

 as if they had been no heavier than matches. That 

 clinched the matter, and the captain altered our course 

 lest any more of the cargo should be lost. 



The gale moderated at daybreak, and the sea, 

 although still very choppy, was much calmer. My 

 friend and I found life quite stale and unprofitable now 

 that there was neither ice nor wind to give our interest 

 a fillip ; and we had nothing more exciting to do than 

 to pay a call upon the galley cat, who had a litter of 

 kittens during the storm. But it was also very amusing 

 to watch the sea-birds round the ship. The fulmars 

 pleased me most. They had followed us faithfully 

 through the storm, and their thick bodies and rapid flight, 

 with the odd marbled markings on their upper wings, 

 made them look something like giant hawk-moths. 

 It was very pretty to see them alight on the water, 

 poised daintily upon their outspread wings in the 

 attitude of the angels out of one of Gustave Dora's 

 pictures ; and the worst seas had no terrors for them, 

 for they could swim unconcernedly up wave-slopes as 

 steep as the roof of a church. A few Briinnich's 



