. Spunyarn and spindrift : a sailor boy's log of a voyage out and home in a china tea-clipper. himself, and we snuggedher down to close reefs. Talking about logs, well heave ours, just to see howfast she was travelling. Heave the log ! No, not you—let Barrett, hold the reel; shell takethe line pretty smart, and you wont be able to hold it. Clear glass.^ Clear glass, sir. Turn ! Stop! Twelve and a half, remarked the mate. Hm, Ididnt think she was going so fast as that. That days run brought us down to the latitude of theCape of Good Hope ; and, the strong breeze continuing,we soon reached the p
. Spunyarn and spindrift : a sailor boy's log of a voyage out and home in a china tea-clipper. himself, and we snuggedher down to close reefs. Talking about logs, well heave ours, just to see howfast she was travelling. Heave the log ! No, not you—let Barrett, hold the reel; shell takethe line pretty smart, and you wont be able to hold it. Clear glass.^ Clear glass, sir. Turn ! Stop! Twelve and a half, remarked the mate. Hm, Ididnt think she was going so fast as that. That days run brought us down to the latitude of theCape of Good Hope ; and, the strong breeze continuing,we soon reached the parallel of 42° south, upon whichthe captain intends to run down his easting. OFF THF CAPE. 199 It is so bitterly cold, especially at night. I wrap my-self up as well as I can, but the wind seems to blowright through any thickness of clothes. We didnt get clear of the Cape without having avisit from the Storm Fiend, for one morning the cloudscame driving up as black as ink from the south-west,and the wind, which had been strong enough before to bring us down to closeleefs came bellowmsf. along m furious blasts, fill the air with driving spray so that one could scarcely see a couple of ships lengths in any direction, while the stately seas came heaving up in tremendous masses—a grand array of steadily advancing billows, as regularly spaced as the furrows in a ploughed field. How it blew ! We were hove to long before the galewas at its height, and even under her close-reefed main-topsail and foretopmast-staysail our ship was forging 200 SPUN YARN AND SPINDRIFT. ahead quite two knots, with the lee side of her decks allawash. About ten oclock, just as the watch were told togo below, a heavy sea came surging along and brokeright over the weather rail ; its full force struck ourhouse, and when the whirling foam had subsided, I sawthat the place was wrecked, the front and one end beingcompletely stove in. After smashing up our berth the volume of waterrolled to leeward with irresi
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