The First Night After The Tradewinds Left Us, While We
Were In The Latitude Of The Island Of Cuba, We Had A Specimen Of
A True Tropical Thunder Storm.
A light breeze had been blowing
directly from aft during the first part of the night which gradually
died away, and before midnight it was dead calm, and a heavy black
cloud had shrouded the whole sky.
When our watch came on deck at
twelve o'clock, it was as black as Erebus; the studding-sails were
all taken in, and the royals furled; not a breath was stirring;
the sails hung heavy and motionless from the yards; and the
perfect stillness, and the darkness, which was almost palpable,
were truly appalling. Not a word was spoken, but every one stood
as though waiting for something to happen. In a few minutes the
mate came forward; and in a low tone, which was almost a whisper,
told us to haul down the jib. The fore and mizen top-gallant sails
were taken in, in the same silent manner; and we lay motionless upon
the water, with an uneasy expectation, which, from the long suspense,
became actually painful. We could hear the captain walking the deck,
but it was too dark to see anything more than one's hand before the
face. Soon the mate came forward again, and gave an order, in a
low tone, to clew up the main top-gallant sail; and so infectious
was the awe and silence, that the clewlines and buntlines were
hauled up without any of the customary singing out at the ropes.
An English lad and myself went up to furl it; and we had just got
the bunt up, when the mate called out to us, something, we did
not hear what, - but supposing it to be an order to bear-a-hand,
we hurried, and made all fast, and came down, feeling our way among
the rigging. When we got down we found all hands looking aloft,
and there, directly over where we had been standing, upon the main
top-gallant-mast-head, was a ball of light, which the sailors name
a corposant (corpus sancti), and which the mate had called out to
us to look at. They were all watching it carefully, for sailors
have a notion that if the corposant rises in the rigging, it is
a sign of fair weather, but if it comes lower down, there will
be a storm. Unfortunately, as an omen, it came down, and showed
itself on the top-gallant yard-arm. We were off the yard in good
season, for it is held a fatal sign to have the pale light of the
corposant thrown upon one's face. As it was, the English lad did
not feel comfortably at having had it so near him, and directly
over his head. In a few minutes it disappeared, and showed itself
again on the fore top-gallant yard; and after playing about for
some time, disappeared again; when the man on the forecastle
pointed to it upon the flying-jib-boom-end.
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