not spread over the sky," he said, "because it is largely dust
blown off the land. After the first burst you will see that we shall
have a bright blue sky and a roaring wind, just as one gets it
sometimes in an easterly gale in the Channel. We shall have it in
another five minutes, I fancy. I don't think it will be very strong, or
we should have had it here before this."

It was not long before a dull, moaning sound was heard, the brown-red
fog changed its appearance, swirls of vapour seemed to dash out in
front of it, and the whole swelled and heaved as if it were being
pushed forward by some tremendous pressure in its rear.

The ship's head was pointing nearly east, the canvas hung down
motionless, and there was not a breath of wind.

"Hold on all!" the captain shouted. Half a minute later the billowly
clouds swept across the vessel, and a sudden darkness overspread them.
Then there was a glow of white light, a line of foam approached as
fleet as a race-horse, and with a shriek the gale was upon them. The
vessel shook from stem to stern as if she had struck against a rock,
and her bow was pressed down lower and lower until she seemed as if she
were going to dive head-foremost. But as she gathered way, her bow
rose, and in a minute she was flying along at some eighteen knots an
hour.

"She is all right now, Mr. Prendergast," the captain said. "It is well
we stripped her so thoroughly, and that she is not heavily laden."

Four men had been placed at the wheel, and it needed all their strength
to keep her from yawing. In half an hour the sea began to get up, and
the captain laid her course south-east, which put the wind on her
quarter.

"It is well we were not a degree or so farther south, Captain."

"Yes; it would have been as much as we could do to weather the
Falklands; for with this small amount of sail we should have made a
terrible amount of leeway. As it is, all is fair sailing."

The darkness gradually passed away, and in an hour after the gale had
struck her the _Para_ was sailing under a bright blue sky.