Momentarily the whole of the heaving, swelling mass rose higher and
higher. It was very grand, but it was a terrible grandeur; and the
others were quite inclined to agree with Ethel, who shrank close to
her father, and put her hand in his, saying, "I don't like that
cloud, papa; it frightens me."

At this moment Mrs. Hardy, who had been down below arranging her
cabin, came up to the group. "What a dark cloud, Frank; and how it
moves. Are we going to have a storm, do you think?"

"Well, Clara, I think that we are in for a gale; and if you will
take my advice, you will go down at once while it is calm, and see
that the trunks, and everything that can roll about, are securely
fastened up. I will come down and help you. Boys, you had better go
down and see that everything is snug in our cabin."

In a quarter of an hour the necessary arrangements were completed,
but even in that short time they could feel that a change was
taking place. There was now a steady but decided rolling motion,
and the young ones laughed as they found it difficult to walk
steadily along the cabin.

Upon reaching the deck they saw that the smooth surface of the sea
was broken up by a long swell, that the wind now came in short but
sharp puffs, that the bank of clouds covered nearly half the sky,
and that the detached scud was now flying overhead. The previous
stillness was gone; and between the sudden gusts, the roar of the
wind in the upper region could be heard. The sun had set now, and a
pall of deep blackness seemed to hang from the cloud down to the
sea; but at the line where cloud and water touched, a gleam of dim