When Joe saw the moon beginning to paint the clouds with leprous hues,
and the great ring grew wider and wider, he looked at the mainsail, and
wished the trouble over. At midnight there came a sigh; then a rattle of
blocks, and then a big, silent wave came pouring along. Something was
astir somewhere, and before long the Esperanza's crew knew what was the
matter. The last glare of wild-fire flushed the sky, and then down came
the breeze. The Esperanza was as stiff as a house, but it made her lie
over a little, and she roared along in fine style. In two hours the
vessel was putting her lee rail nearly under, and a single sharp squall
would have hove her down, so the hands were called up to reef her. Joe
was out on the boom, getting the reef-earrings adrift, when the first of
the chapter of accidents came. A man sang out, "Look out for a drop o'
water!" and a black mountain smashed over the Esperanza in an instant
after. Joe saw the third hand slip, and the next second the man was
whisked overboard.
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