CHAPTER XXV. THE TEMPEST
But our readers will remember that it was now the third week inFebruary--the worst month at sea, at least in the Mediterranean. TheItalian sailors have a proverb, that "a short February is worse than along December." Captain Thompson, in his anxiety to fulfill his youngmistress's wishes, had not failed to heed the weather-glass, and he hadfelt anxious at the way in which the mercury was falling--a suresign that a strong south-west wind was brewing nigh at hand, the mostunfavorable for the safety of our passengers on this rocky coast. The_Seagull_, however, sailed gracefully out of port with all sails set,and impelled by a gentle breeze--gracefully, we say, that is, in theeyes of Captain Thompson and her owner; but not so gracefully in theeyes of Aurelia and Manlio, who, never having intrusted themselves tothe deep before, were considerably inconvenienced by the undulatingmotion.
Julia had arranged to cruise down the coast for Silvia and Clelia, underOrazio's protection, bringing to off a small fishing-place a few milesfrom Porto d'Anzo, where the yacht was to put in and embark them; but,though the captain would have gone through fire and water to obey hismistress's commands, the wind and waves were his superiors. The gentlebreeze had given place to strong gusts, and black clouds were rapidlychasing one another athwart the sky. A storm was evidently rising, andevery moment the danger of being driven ashore was becoming more andmore possible. Night was closing in, and breakers were in sight. Theonly chance of escape was to cast anchor. Thompson accordingly madeJulia, who, wrapped in a shawl, was lying on deck watching everymovement, acquainted with his resolution, in which she acquiesced. Thesailors were about to obey their captain's orders, when Julia cried out"Hold!" for she had already felt the wind upon her cheek suddenly shift,and felt that to anchor was no longer wise. Now they must stand out tosea, and face the shifts of the tempest. The sails began to fill, and ina short time the _Seagull_ paid off, and began to leave the surf behindher, obedient to the helm. The wind was fitful, and now and againterribly fierce; the sails, cordage, and masts creaked, and swayedto and fro. Captain Thompson ordered his crew, in the energetic, yetself-possessed tone so characteristic of the British seaman, to "standby" the halliards (ropes to hoist or lower sails), but to take innothing. Luffing a little more, they were soon free of the immediateperil; but, the wind increasing, they dared not carry so much sail, andthree reefs were taken in upon the mainsail, the foresail and jib wereshifted, and every thing was made tight and snug against the fierceblasts which dashed the billows over her sides, and occasionally nearlysubmerged the tiny bark.
The Seagull presently put about on the port tack, always beatingout from the land, and battled bravely with the storm, which waxedmomentarily louder and stronger. One tremendous wave dashed over her,and then the captain, addressing Julia, who had remained on deck,besought her to go below, or he feared she might share the fate of oneof the crew who had been washed overboard by it. Poor fellow, no helpcould save him! Julia saw the sailor go over the side, and threw him arope herself, but the man was swallowed up in the darkness and foam. Thesteersmen (for there were two) were now lashed to the helm, the captainto the weather shrouds of the mainmast, and the men held fast under thebulwarks.
When Julia descended to the cabin to appease the captain's anxiety, andlook after her friends, the scene that met her view was so ludicrousthat, in spite of her sorrow for the loss of the poor seaman, she couldnot repress a smile. When the ship gave a lurch to the wave which hadcarried the sailor away, Aurelia was precipitated like a bundle ofclothes into the same corner in which Manlio had taken refuge. The poorwoman, frightened out of her wits, and thinking her last hour had come,clung to the unfortunate sculptor with all her might, as if fancyingshe could be saved by doing so. In vain Manlio implored her not to chokehim: the more he entreated the closer became her grasp. The sculptor,accustomed to move blocks of marble, was powerless to release himselffrom the agonized matron, but, aided by the motion of the ship,contrived to hold her off a little so as to escape suffocation. In thistragic and yet comic attitude Julia beheld them, and, after giving wayfor one moment to her irrepressible amusement, she called a servant toassist her, and succeeded in pacifying Aurelia, and in liberating Manliofrom his uncomfortable position.
All night the _Seagull_ straggled bravely against the storm, and had itnot been for her superior construction, and the skill of her commanderand the brave blue-jackets in Julia's service, she must have perished.
Towards morning the tempest subsided, and the wind having changed tosouth-south-west, Captain Thompson informed Julia it would be necessaryto put in at Porto Ferrajo or Longone to repair the damages the yachthad sustained, which, indeed, were not slight. The two light boatshad been carried away, also every article on deck, and the starboardbulwarks from amidships to stem. The foremast, too, was sprung, andJulia, seeing the impossibility of setting the vessel to rights at sea,consented to make the land. Here we will take leave of them for a time.
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