--But how blue all your lips look.--It
is cold, piercing cold, and dark, dark." Something seemed to rise in his
throat, his features sharpened still more, and he tried to gasp, but his
clenched teeth prevented him--he was gone.
I went on deck with a heavy heart, and, on looking in the direction
indicated, I beheld the towering Blue Mountain peak rising high above the
horizon, even at the distance of fifty miles, with its outline clear and
distinct against the splendid western sky, now gloriously illumined by the
light of the set sun. We stood on under easy sail for the night, and next
morning when the day broke, we were off the east end of the magnificent
Island of Jamaica. The stupendous peak now appeared to rise close aboard
of us, with a large solitary star sparkling on his forehead, and reared
his forest--crowned summit high into the cold blue sky, impending over us
in frowning magnificence, while the long dark range of the Blue Mountains,
with their outlines hard and clear in the grey light, sloped away on each
side of him as if they had been the Giant's shoulders. Great masses of
white mist hung on their sides about half--way down, but all the valleys
and coast as yet slept in the darkness. We could see that the land--wind
was blowing strong in shore, from the darker colour of the water, and the
speed with which the coasters, only distinguishable by their white sails,
slid along; while astern of us, out at sea, yet within a cable's length,
for we had scarcely shot beyond its influence, the prevailing trade--wind
blew a smart breeze, coming up strong to a defined line, beyond which and
between it and the influence of the land--wind, there was a belt of dull
lead--coloured sea, about half a mile broad, with a long heavy
ground--swell rolling, but smooth as glass, and without even a ripple on
the surface, in the midst of which we presently lay dead becalmed.
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