"The wind is drawing more to the nor'ard," said old Tom, as night closed in, "and the clouds look dirty." "Bear her up a point or two," said I, "and let us stand in for Cork harbor, if it comes on to blow." He muttered something in reply, but I did not catch the words, nor, indeed, cared I to hear them, for I had just wrapped myself in my boat-cloak, and stretched at full length on the shingle ballast of the yawl, was gazing in rapture at the brilliancy of the starry sky above me. Light skiffs of feathery cloud would now and then flit past, and a peculiar hissing sound of the sea told, at the same time, that the breeze was freshening. But old Tom had done his duty in mentioning this once; and thus having disburdened his conscience, he closehauled his mainsail, shifted the ballast a little to midships, and, putting up the collar of his pilot-coat, screwed himself tighter into the corner beside the tiller, and chewed his quid in quietness. The boy slept soundly in the bow, and I, lulled by the motion and the plashing waves, fell into a dreamy stupor, like a pleasant sleep. The pitching of the boat continued to increase, and twice or thrice, struck by a heavy sea, she lay over, till the white waves came tumbling in over her gunwale. I heard Tom call to his boy, something about the head-sail, but for the life of me I could not or would not arouse myself from a train of thought that I was following. "She's a stout boat to stand this," said Tom, as he rounded her off, at a coming wave, which, even thus escaped, splashed over her like a cataract. "I know many a bigger craft wouldn't hold up her canvas under such a gale." "Here it comes, father. Here's a squall," cried the boy, and with a crash like thunder, the wind struck the sail, and laid the boy half-under. "She'd float if she was full of water," said the old man, as the craft "righted." "But maybe the spars wouldn't stand," said the boy, anxiously. "'Tis what I'm thinking," rejoined the father. "There's a shake in the mast, below the caps." "Tell him it's better to bear up, and go before it," whispered the lad, with a gesture toward where I was lying. "Troth it's little he'd care," said the other; "besides, he's never plazed to be woke up." "Here it comes again," cried the boy. But this time the squall swept past ahead of us, and the craft only reeled to the swollen waves, as they tore by. "We'd better go about, sir," said Tom to me; "there's a heavy sea outside, and it's blowing hard now." "And there's a split in the mast as long as my arm," cried the boy. "I thought she'd live through any sea, Tom!" said I, laughing; for it was his constant boast that no weather could harm her. "There goes the spar," shouted he, while with a loud snap the mast gave way, and fell with a crash over the side. The boat immediately came head to wind, and sea after sea broke upon her bow, and fell in great floods over us.