1 66 



in threatening angulfh, and, a tVick ftorm 

 gathering at the horizon, the winds and waves 

 lulhed into conflid, and, in all the dreadful 

 wrath of tempeft, pronounced themfelves the 

 meffengers of angry Gods ! 



From this moment gale has fucceeded to 

 gale, and ftorm to ftorm, defeating all our 

 happieft calculations ; even the heft eftabliflied 

 prognoftics have deceived us, clouds fepa- 

 rating, a change of wind, heavy rain, and the 

 like, are no longer any indication of an abating 

 ftorm. At one time, under the cleareft azure 

 fky, and the brighteft, faireft fun, the dry- 

 wind tears in keeneft violence, as if rufhing, 

 from the parched heavens, to devour all the 

 fluids of the ocean : at another, loaded w^ith 

 iiioifture, it burfts into fudden gufts and 

 fqualls, heaving the fliip, as it were, out of 

 the fea, and leaving her fufpended in air; and, 

 as if the fates had refolved to torment us, 

 whenever the wand, and the heavy waves 

 have a little fubfided, and we have looked 

 for fteady failing on our paflage, a breeze 

 has fprung up, from the moft unfavorable 

 poini of the heavens, which, though mode* 



