"Angel," said the captain, shouting into the mate's ear, "there's only one thing to account for this. We're on the right tack for the Southern Ocean; but the storm-center is overtaking us faster than we can drift away from it. We must scud out of its way."
So they took in the tarpaulin and set the foretopmast-staysail again, and, with the best two helmsmen at the wheel, they sped before the tempest for four hours, during which there was no increase of the wind and no change in the barometer; it still remained at its lowest reading.
"Keep the wind as much on the port quarter as you dare," ordered Swarth. "We're simply sailing around the center, and perhaps in with the vortex."
They obeyed him as they could, and in a few hours more there was less fury in the blast and a slight rise in the barometer.
"I was right," said the captain. "The center will pass us now. We're out of its way."
They brought the brig around amid a crashing of seas over the port rail, and stowing the staysail, pinned her again on the port tack with the tarpaulin. But a few hours of it brought an increase of wind and a fall of the barometer.
"What in d--nation does it mean, Angel?" cried the captain, desperately. "By all laws of storms we ought to drift away from the center."
The mate could not tell; but a voice out of the night, barely distinguishable above the shrieking wind, answered him.
"You--all-fired--fool--don't--you--know--any--more--than--to--heave--to --in--the--Gulf--Stream?"
Then there was the faintest disturbance in the sounds of the sea, indicating the rushing by of a large craft.
"What!" roared Swarth. "The Gulf Stream? I've lost my reckoning. Where am I? Ship ahoy! Where am I?"
There was no answer, and he stumbled down to the main-deck among his men, followed by the mate.
"Draw a bucket of water, one of you," he ordered.
This was done, and he immersed his hand. The water was warm.
"Gulf-Stream," he yelled frantically, "Gulf Stream--how in h----l did we get up here? We ought to be down near St. Helena. Angel, come here. Let's think. We sailed by the wind on the southeast trade for--no, we didn't. It was the northeast trade. We caught the northeast trade, and we've circled all over the Western Ocean."