The fresh air smote upon me almost painfully.

There was no rain falling, and the wind had been lulling since the dawn.

The sea itself was growing brighter, and glittered here and there in spots where the sunlight fell upon it.

All the sailors looked beaten and worn out with the night's toil, and the few passengers who had braved the passage, and were now well enough to come on deck, were weary and sallow-looking.

There was still no land in sight, for the clouds hung low on the horizon, and overhead the sky was often overcast and gloomy.