Land! Land

           Meanwhile,thatconfidencewithwhichDickSand’sheartfilledinstinctively,wasgoingtobepartlyjustified.

           Thenextday,March27th,thecolumnofmercuryroseinthebarometricaltube.Theoscillationwasneithersuddennorconsiderable—afewlinesonly—buttheprogressionseemedlikelytocontinue.Thetempestwasevidentlygoingtoenteritsdecreasingperiod,and,iftheseadidremainexcessivelyrough,theycouldtellthatthewindwasgoingdown,veeringslightlytothewest.

           DickSandcouldnotyetthinkofusinganysail.Thesmallestsailwouldbecarriedaway.However,hehopedthattwenty-fourhourswouldnotelapsebeforeitwouldbepossibleforhimtorigastorm-jib.

           Duringthenight,infact,thewindwentdownquitenoticeably,iftheycomparedittowhatithadbeentillthen,andtheshipwaslesstossedbythoseviolentrollingswhichhadthreatenedtobreakherinpieces.

           Thepassengersbegantoappearondeckagain.Theynolongerrantheriskofbeingcarriedawaybysomesurgefromthesea.

           Mrs.WeldonwasthefirsttoleavethehatchwaywhereDickSand,fromprudentmotives,hadobligedthemtoshutthemselvesupduringthewholedurationofthatlongtempest.Shecametotalkwiththenovice,whomatrulysuperhumanwillhadrenderedcapableofresistingsomuchfatigue.Thin,paleunderhissunburntcomplexion,hemightwellbeweakenedbythelossofthatsleepsonecessaryathisage.No,hisvaliantnatureresistedeverything.Perhapshewouldpaydearlysomedayforthatperiodoftrial.