come from an unexpected quarter, and so suddenly that they had not noticed
its direction, and were not where they could look at the compass.

All was bright and cheerful in the cabins, but through the portholes they
could see that all was dark outside with an occasional vivid flash of
lightning, these coming less and less frequent at length till they ceased,
and then the skies began to brighten.

Suddenly, however, before it was yet bright enough outside to make out any
objects, there was a sudden rush forward as if they had been struck by a
great wave, then a sudden upheaving as if they were mounting to the sky,
then another long rush forward, and then a shock as if they had struck
something, and for a few moments the lights went out.

When they flared up again the vessel seemed to be at anchor, and the boys
said to each other:

"What is the matter, have we struck on a rock, are we sinking, what is the
matter anyhow?"

There was no confusion on deck, as there would have been if what the boys
feared had really happened, and presently one of the officers came below
and said reassuringly:

"Well, we are all right as far as I can see, but where we are is another
story. In some landlocked bay, apparently, but where it is or how we
reached it I can't tell."

"We were struck by a cyclone, weren't we, Officer?" asked young Smith,
with a wise air.