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.
Pages:
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146