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.