THE RESULT OF A “ WEATHER-ROLL/' 151 
trough of the rapidly-increasing sea. Even with the 
assistance of steam, however, we did not make half the 
weather of it that the little Cooper did, who, with her 
close-reefed foresail only, climbed over the threatening 
seas with the lightness of a feather and “held her oavu” 
beautifully ; while -we, like a huge crab, drifted bodily to 
leeward, as usual. The consequence of this was that in a 
very few hours we lost sight of her light, and when we 
next saw it it was off the town of Shaughae. I turn to 
iny journal for an account of our subsequent doings: — 
“We drifted along quite miserably in this way for 
some time, our decks being no sooner well clear of one 
sea than another would slap her on the bow, curl over 
the rail, and sweep aft through the lee gangway. We 
had taken the pi'ecaution to batten down all of the for- 
ward hatches before the annval of night, and at about 
four bells in the first watch (10 p.m.) began to wish that 
we had done likewise by the after ones. At that hour a 
heavy weather-roll brought in a sea over the main chains 
that deluged the quarter-deck, filled the ward-room and 
our state-rooms six inches deep, and swashed up into 
our bunks with so much eftect as to soak our beds and 
awaken us most thoroughly. 
“Having the mid-watch ahead, I had turned in an 
hour before, and was annoyed, though not at all sur- 
prised, at my nocturnal bath : it was not the first thing 
of the kind by any means, and, being easily pleased, I 
was fast becoming reconciled to it as one of the neces- 
sary accompaniments of that interesting cruise. Buckets, 
dippers, and swabs, were now in great demand, and a 
quai'ter-watch — called quarteTj I suppose, because it means 
