My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org

158 MY LIFEhopes of reaching Bermuda, though it is doubtfulif we should have done so, the neighbourhood ofthose islands being noted for sudden squalls andhurricanes, and it was the time of year when thehurricanes most frequently occur. Having never seena great gale or storm at sea, I had some desire towitness the phenomenon, and have now been completelygratified. The first we had about a fortnightago. In the morning there was a strong breeze andthe barometer had fallen nearly half an inch duringthe night and continued sinking, so the captain commencedtaking in sail, and while getting in the royalsand studding-sails, the wind increased so as to splitthe mainsail, fore-topsail, fore-trysail, and jib, and itwas some hours before they could be got off her, andthe main-topsail and fore-sail double reefed. Wethen went flying along, the whole ocean a mass ofboiling foam, the crests of the waves being carried inspray over our decks. The sea did not get upimmediately, but by night it was very rough, the shipplunging and rolling most fearfully, the sea pouringin a deluge over the top of her bulwarks, and sometimesup over the cabin skylight. The next morningthe wind abated, but the ship, which is a very oldone, took in a deal of water, and the pumps werekept going nearly the whole day to keep her dry.During this gale the wind went completely round thecompass, and then settled nearly due east, where itpertinaciously continued for twelve days, keeping ustacking about, and making less than forty miles a dayagainst it. Three days ago we had another gale,more severe than the former one—a regular equinoctial,which lasted two entire days and nights, and splitone of the newest and strongest sails on the ship.The rolling and plunging were fearful, the bowsprit