Soon he thought he could discern an irregular pink crescent, with the

concave side downwards, somewhere in the blackness beyond the bows. He

rubbed his eyes, and said nothing, believing that the unaccustomed strain

of gazing into the dark had affected his sight. But the pink crescent

brightened and deepened, and speedily it was joined by two others,

equally irregular and somewhat lower. Then he could bear the suspense no

longer.

"Captain, d'ye see yon?" he asked, in a voice tremulous with awe.

"Yes. That is the sun just catching the summits of snow-topped hills.

It not only foretells the dawn, but is a sign of fine weather. There are

no clouds over the land, or we should not see the peaks."

Walker began to have a respect for the captain which he had hitherto

extended only to the superintending engineer, an eminent personage who

never goes to sea, but inspects the ship when in port, and draws a fat

salary and various commissions.

Ere long a silver gray light began to dispel the gloom. The two silent

watchers first saw it overhead, and the vast dome of day swiftly widened

over the vexed sea. The aftermath of the storm spread a low, dense cloak

of vapor all round. The wind had fallen so greatly that they could hear

the song of the rigging. Soon they could distinguish the outlines of the

heavy rollers near at hand, and Courtenay believed that the ship, in her

passage, encountered in the water several narrow bands of a bright red

color. If this were so, he knew that the phenomenon was caused by the

prawn-like Crustacea which sailors call "Whale-food," a sure sign of deep

water close to land, and, further, an indication that the current was

still flowing strongly, while the force of the sea must have been broken

many miles to westward.

Suddenly he turned to Walker.

"Do you think you could shin up to the masthead?" he asked.

"I used to be able to climb a bit, sir."

"Well, try the foremast. Up there I am fairly certain you can see over

this bank of mist. Don't get into trouble. Come back if you feel you

can't manage it. If you succeed, take the best observations possible and

report."

Courtenay was becoming anxious now. If he dared let go the wheel he

would have climbed the mast himself. Walker set about his mission in a

business-like manner. He threw off his thick coat and boots, and went

forward. Half-way up the mast there was a rope ladder for the use of the

sailors when adjusting pulleys.




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