Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/231

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could scarcely  keep  the  water  out. The vessel  rolled until the  deck  could  be  seen  by  the  monsters  at  the bottom of  watery  gulches,  and  as  she  went  down  on her  beam  ends,  seamen  clung  to  the  rigging  for  their lives.

Out upon  the  brine  was  one  of  the  grandest sights I  ever  beheld. Gradually and  steadily  the wind had  increased  until  the  uplifted  sea,  in  wrath long nursed  for  worthy  occasions,  shook  itself  in  its mighty unrest ;  then  rushing  upon  us  with  a  howl, the storm  culminated  in  a  frenzy  of  fury. Looking away toward  the  west  under  the  sullen  sky  and  swiftly flying clouds,  looking  quickly  while  the  ship  momen- tarilv balanced  herself  on  some  foaminsf  crest  hiixh  in air,  looking  far  away,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  to where  the  low  scowdincr  heavens  and  ocean  met, where air  and  water  whipped  themselves  together  and sea and  sky  were  one,  and  I  saw  as  from  some  high sierra a  succession  of  rolling  ridges,  glassy  gulches, and splashing  cliffs. Hitherward they  came,  born, perhaps, hundreds  of  miles  away,  with  thousands rushing after  them,  roaring  loud-mouthed  and  wrath- ful as if  to  overwhelm  us. The little  ship  on  which I stood  was  no  more  to  them  than  a  buzzing  fly to a  whirlwind. Then we  plunged  headlong  down into the  deep  smooth-bottomed  canon,  and  looking upward, beheld  on  either  side  a  writhing  molten mountain, with  trembling  dome  and  glistening  pin- nacle, with serried  summit  cream-crested  and  fes- tooned, and almost  perpendicular  black-green  walls streaked with  stringy  foam,  while  the  yet  more  impa- tient avalanche leaped  the  abyss,  or  fell  with  a  crash upon the  laboring  ship  below. Once more  uplifted,  I loc^ked  again  upon  the  battle  of  the  wind  and  waves — tall waves,  beautiful  in  their  ever  varying  colors, now rising  into  mountains,  now  melting  into  plains, then turning,  surge  meeting  surge  in  foaming  coun- terdance; and  now  comes  the  wind,  chasing  the  whist- ling brine swifter  than  Diana's  dart,  and  seiz