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I never before knew her to wear. She lit up every thing about us with
the greatest distinctness--but, oh God, what a scene it was to light up!
"I now made one or two attempts to speak to my brother--but, in some
manner which I could not understand, the din had so increased that I
could not make him hear a single word, although I screamed at the top
of my voice in his ear. Presently he shook his head, looking as pale as
death, and held up one of his finger, as if to say 'listen! '
"At first I could not make out what he meant--but soon a hideous thought
flashed upon me. I dragged my watch from its fob. It was not going. I
glanced at its face by the moonlight, and then burst into tears as I
flung it far away into the ocean. It had run down at seven o'clock!
We were behind the time of the slack, and the whirl of the Ström was in
full fury!
"When a boat is well built, properly trimmed, and not deep laden, the
waves in a strong gale, when she is going large, seem always to slip
from beneath her--which appears very strange to a landsman--and this is
what is called riding, in sea phrase. Well, so far we had ridden the
swells very cleverly; but presently a gigantic sea happened to take us
right under the counter, and bore us with it as it rose--up--up--as
if into the sky. I would not have believed that any wave could rise so
high. And then down we came with a sweep, a slide, and a plunge,
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