Still there seemed to be nothing more than a heavy blow, and Bob was beginning to hope they might get through with less trouble than the commander anticipated.  The captain had decided to try the passage of the Straits rather than to actually go around Cape Horn.

But it was not to be.  The next day, toward evening, when they were preparing to navigate the difficult passage, there came a veritable hurricane.

Fortunately Captain Spark had in a measure anticipated it, and had taken in sail, bending on some heavy storm canvas which, small as it was, sent the ship ahead at a terrific pace.

As night came on the Eagle was seen to be in a mass of swirling, tumbling waves which seemed anxious to overpower the stanch craft.

Mr. Tarbill was in a great fright.  He tried to stay in his cabin, but when the ship began to pitch and toss he could not stand it.  So donning a life-preserver, he came on deck.  Here he was much in the way, for the sailors had to be constantly rushing here and there, making ropes fast and attending to their duties.  To add to the discomforts of the situation, it began to rain in torrents.

“Oh, I know we’re going to sink!” cried the nervous passenger.  “Do you think it will be soon, captain?”

“What soon?” asked the commander, who was too busy to pay much attention to Mr. Tarbill.  “Will we sink soon?”

“Sink?  We’re not going to sink at all if I can help it!  This is no worse than lots of storms.  You had better go to your cabin and lie down.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dare to!  The ship might sink while I was there.  I know we’ll get caught in a whirlpool, or in a waterspout, or some other dreadful thing!  This is terrible!  Awful!  Fearful!”

The wind was increasing, and great waves dashed over the Eagle’s bow.

“It’s bad luck to have such a storm-croaker as that aboard,” murmured one of the sailors.  “He’s a regular Jonah!”

“I wish he’d go below,” muttered the captain, and Bob overheard him.  “He’s frightening every one up here, and we’re going to have a hard enough time as it is without a nervous man on deck.”

Bob, though he was frightened at the storm, which was constantly growing worse, determined to stick it out.  He wanted to see what would happen.  But he saw a chance to do a service to the captain, though it would involve playing an innocent trick on Mr. Tarbill.

Accordingly, when there came a little lull in the wind, Bob made his way to where the nervous passenger stood with his back braced against a deckhouse.

“It’ll be here pretty soon now,” said Bob, shouting to make himself heard above the noise of the storm.

“What will, my dear young friend?” asked Mr. Tarbill, forgetting his former anger at Bob under the stress of the circumstances.  “Do you mean to tell us anything else is going to happen?”

“Something surely is, Mr. Tarbill,” said Bob, with an air of great earnestness, moving closer to the man, so as to get away from the driving rain, as Mr. Tarbill stood under shelter.