ROUND THE COCOS AND SEYCHELLES. 129 



well-known appearance of the waves before a storm was 

 also very marked, which consists of an undecided sort of 

 break in their tops. Instead of running regularly, they 

 seemed to hunch themselves up in little heaps, and 

 throw off a tiny flutter of spray, which generally fell in 

 the opposite direction to what little wind there was. 

 The pigs and fowls felt the approaching change keenly, 

 and manifested the greatest uneasiness, leaving their 

 food and acting strangely. We were making scarcely 

 any headway, so that the storm was longer making its 

 appearance than it would have been had we been a 

 swift clipper ship running down the Indian Ocean. For 

 two days we were kept in suspense ; but on the second 

 night the gloom began to deepen, the wind to moan, and 

 a very uncomfortable " jobble " of a sea got up. Extra 

 *' gaskets " were put upon the sails, and everything 

 movable about the decks was made as secure as it could 

 be. Only the two close-reefed topsails and two storm 

 stay-sails were carried, so that we were in excellent 

 trim for fighting the bad weather when it did come. The 

 sky gradually darkened and assumed a livid green tint, 

 the effect of which was most peculiar. 



The wind blew fitfully in short gusts, veering con- 

 "tinually back and forth over about a quarter of the 

 compass. Although it was still light, it kept up an 

 incessant mournful moan not to be accounted for in 

 any way. Darker and darker grew the heavens, although 

 no clouds were visible, only a general pall of darkness. 

 Glimmering lightnings played continually about the 

 eastern horizon, but not brilliant enough to show us the 

 approaching storm-cloud. And so came the morning 

 of the third day from the beginning of the change. 

 But for the clock we should hardly have known that day 



