But who can trace the course of Destiny, or fathom the mysteries of
Fate?
CHAPTER XVI
THE ISLAND OF GEMS
For some weeks after getting free from the kelp we experienced fine
weather, with favourable winds and a smooth sea, when, almost without
warning, a storm broke upon us with hurricane force. All hands were
ordered to shorten sail, no easy task in the fury of a gale. As chief
officer I took command in the fore part of the vessel, while Hartog
issued his orders aft. The sea ran so high, often breaking over the
bows and swamping the decks, that I ordered the men to attach
themselves by lifelines to the foremast, and I also secured myself in
the same way. As sometimes happens at sea in the heart of a storm, a
succession of rollers followed each other, making it impossible to do
more than hang on until they pass, and during one of these intervals I
observed Van Luck, whose presence I had forgotten in the hurry of the
moment, standing by the foremast with a knife in his hand. I was
powerless to reach him from where I stood, and a moment later the
lifeline which held me to the foremast was severed, when, despite a
desperate effort which I made to retain my hold, I was swept into the
sea.
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