and Harry and the captain looked at him in surprise.

"You think there is going to be a change, Mr. Johnson?" the captain said,
after a short pause to recover from his astonishment.

The mate nodded.

"Glass falling, sky hazy."

"Is the glass falling? I am ashamed to say I have not looked at it for the
past twenty-four hours. It has stuck so long at the same point that I have
quite ceased to look at it two or three times a day as I usually do."

"It has not fallen much, but it is sinking."

The captain got up from the table, and went to look at the glass.

"You are right, it has fallen a good eighth; but that may mean a change of
wind. Did you notice any change, Mr. Prendergast?"

"No, I can't say that I did. I looked up, as a sailor always does, when I
was on deck this morning, but it was clear enough then, and I have not
noticed it particularly since."

But when they went up on deck half an hour later both agreed that the mate
was right. The change overhead was slight, but away to the west a dull
reddish mist seemed to obscure the horizon.

"We will get the upper sails off at once, Mr. Johnson. These storms come
so suddenly off the coast that it is as well to lose no time in shortening