At ten o'clock I carefully inspected the wind and weather. It was a bright starlight night, with not a cloud to be seen, except that ahead in the horizon was a low streak that looked like a fog bank. A fresh breeze was blowing from the northward driving the ship along nine knots, with the yards just clear of the backstays, all sail being set. The mate had the watch on deck, and I said to him, "This is fine, I only hope it will last, but the glass says, No. However, very likely we'll have good warning before the change comes. Keep a sharp lookout and if it breezes on, or the weather looks threatening, get the light sails off of her and give me a call." In half an hour after that, the mate shouted "clew up the fore royal," but no sooner had they let go the halyards than a furious blast from the north-west struck her flat aback. The helm was put hard up and having a good deal of headway the vessel fortunately "fell off." None of the watch below needed a call for every one was out of his bunk in a few seconds as the bark, nearly on her beam ends, and the shaking sails, gave their own summons. I was on deck promptly and shouted, "Lower down the spanker;" but the mate had his men forward hauling down the jib and flying-jib, for the sheets had parted and the sails were blowing into ribbons. The second mate got his watch along aft as soon as possible, and in the meantime I jumped on top of the after-house to let go the spanker throat-halyards. As I passed forward of the mizzen-mast to go to leeward, the wind and the inclination of the vessel gave me a slide, and away I went head foremost off the house on to the main deck. I had on rubber boots with my pants tucked into them, and as I fell the belaying-pin of the main brace went up the right boot leg and there I hung, heels up and head down in the lee-scuppers, while the good bark was lying beam on to the hurricane, which threatened every moment to dismast her, and in the meantime was blowing to pieces a number of her sails. The night was pitchy dark and the rain poured in large drops which, with the force of the wind, struck like hail, while the storm roared with a sound such as that with which the express train affrights one who stands on the platform of a country station past which it flies. I managed to extricate myself from this awkward position, and crawling to windward renewed the directions for shortening sail. The vessel was run off to the S.E. for two hours while we took in and furled every sail except the close-reefed main-topsail and then she was brought to the wind on the port tack. That was a night we long remembered, and a hard time the crew had furling the wet sails in the cold rain, but there was one alleviation to their discomfort, for I had the cook "roused out" and ordered him to make coffee for all hands; and as soon as she was hove to, a mug of hot coffee and a cake of hard bread gave them one of the greatest treats they ever had in their lives.