Jackson, to whom this latter order was addressed, immediately went forwards on the forecastle, accompanied by a couple of other men; although the three found it a serious matter to escape the thick green seas the vessel took in over her bows as she dived into the trough of the waves, washing the decks fore and aft. After a struggle, however, they managed to climb out to their station, getting the fore-staysail ready to haul up as the captain had commanded, although he only meant to use it in case the topsail carried away as we wore ship, which was very possible. Then, watching our opportunity when the _Josephine_ was rising on the crest of a gigantic wave that had rolled up astern to poop her, but had fortunately instead passed underneath her keel, the helm was put up and the fore-yards easied round. She answered the rudder; but one sea came in over her quarter just when she was fully exposed to the side force of the wind. Luckily, however, everything held; and, as the foretop-sail got gradually taken aback the mizzen staysail drew, casting her stern round, so that her head at last faced the wind and sea. The vessel plunged fearfully, but held her own grandly, not falling off again as we all expected. "By Jingo, she's a beauty!" exclaimed the captain in high delight at the success of the manoeuvre. "I never saw a ship behave better in my life! I was frightened of her at one time, I confess." "So was I," said Mr Marline, much relieved by our now being hove-to and better prepared to meet any change of wind. "She's all right now, though!" He had spoken too quickly, however, "counting his chickens before they were hatched," according to the old proverb; for, no sooner had he got out the words than for one single instant the gale lulled, coming to a dead stand-still, and the very next moment it began to blow from the exactly opposite direction--the storm proceeding now from the north-west quadrant instead of the south-east, and the headquarters of our fresh assailant being the thick bank of black clouds we had noticed in front of our previous position before wearing ship low down on the horizon. We had evidently only got round in the very nick of time. Otherwise, there is little doubt that the _Josephine_, meeting the wind from this new quarter full butt, would have been taken aback. Now, from her change of position it struck her aft, making her scud again before it as she had previously done--strangely enough causing her to retrace the very same course she had just passed over, in almost a straight line! "Square away the yards!" shouted out Captain Miles, while the men at the wheel shifted the helm to prevent the vessel from broaching-to; and, in another moment we were pitching and tossing through the choppy head-sea which we had now to meet, the ship rolling from side to side, and tumbling about like a whale in its death flurry, as she raced on ahead again before the stiff north-western blast.