At noon that day the wind dropped suddenly, and, an hour later, it was a dead calm.
"We are going to have a change, Dick," the doctor said, as he stopped by the lad, who was leaning against the bulwark watching a flock of seabirds that were following a shoal of fish, dashing down among them with loud cries, and too intent upon their work to notice the ship, lying motionless a hundred yards away.
"What sort of a change, doctor ?" "Most likely a strong blow, though from what quarter it is too soon to say.

However, we have no reason to grumble.

After nearly a month of light winds, we must expect a turn of bad weather.

I hope it will come from the north.

That will take us down to the latitude of Madeira, and beyond that we may calculate upon another spell of fine weather, until we cross the Line." As the afternoon wore on, the weather became more dull.