At Two Bells, when the log was hove, we were found to be going over nine knots but the ship began to plunge so much presently, that Commander Nesbitt, after one or two anxious glances aloft, ordered the boatswain's mate to call the hands to shorten sail, setting them to work the moment they came up from below, the topgallant sails and royals being taken in without delay and the royal yards sent down. "I thought we were going to have bad luck," observed Mr Stormcock, who had made his appearance again on the quarter-deck on hearing the boatswain's pipe for all hands. "We haven't seen the worst of it yet, I'm afraid." "Shut up, you old croaker," said Mr Jellaby. "Why, you're a regular Jonah with your prophecies of evil!" "I hope you won't chuck me overboard for it, though, as they did him!" replied Mr Stormcock, good-humouredly. "Goodness knows, I don't wish any harm to the old ship, or anyone in her! It isn't likely I would; but, look at those clouds there away to win'ard and judge for yourself what sort of weather we're likely to have before nightfall!" "Yes; no doubt you're right, Stormcock," said "Joe" in answer to this, squinting as he spoke over the side to the westward, where a heavy bank of cloud was rising up and nearly blotting out now the sun as it sank lower and lower towards the horizon. "It does look squally, certainly; still, I can't see the use of anticipating the worst and trying to meet troubles half-way, as you do, old chap!" "I would rather be prepared for them than be caught napping," rejoined the master's mate, eyeing the quartermaster at the wheel, who was giving a helping hand to the two helmsmen, their task being by no means easy to make the ship keep her luff under the circumstances of wind and sea. "I wonder the commander doesn't reef tops'ls? We can't carry on much longer like this!" "I hope he won't," whispered little Tommy Mills to me aside, my chum having come up with the rest from the gunroom at the general call. "Ain't it jolly, spinning along like this, eh, Jack?" Before I could reply, however, the commander seemed to have arrived at Mr Stormcock's opinion, that we were still carrying too much canvas, for he came to the break of the poop and shouted out to the boatswain's mate. "Hands reef topsails!" he cried. "Topmen aloft! Take in two reefs!" "Not a bit too soon," growled the master's mate, under his breath. "He ought to have given that order when the to'gallants were taken in!" "Better late than never, say I," said Mr Jellaby, laughing, as the topmen raced up the ratlines and the weather braces were rounded-in, preparatory to reefing. "Really, Stormcock, you're the most inveterate growler I have come across in the service since first I went to sea, by Jove!"