A third flash gleamed out amidst the continuous crashing of the thunder, but it revealed nothing except the raging waste of waters; the Melkarth had vanished in the darkness.
"Khousor Phtah[31] is working away up there with his hammer," said Himilco; "but let him hammer; he will not harm us; we have the Cabiri on our side."
The next hour was a period of intense anxiety. As far as I could judge the tempest was bearing us northwards, but I had no means of knowing for certain whether it was so. Every wave threatened to break upon the ship's side, and the Cabiros, which was quite close to us, appeared sometimes towering high above our heads, and at others gulfed down far below our feet. I was standing with Himilco and the two helmsmen over the stern cabin, when a sea, heavier than any we had yet encountered, swept clean across the deck. I clung to the ship's side, and when I raised myself, half stunned and half blinded by the shock, I found that Himilco and one of the helmsmen had disappeared. Fortunately the helm had not been carried away, and by exerting all my strength, I succeeded in pushing the tiller round, and bringing the ship back into the current of the waves; then confiding the helm to a seaman who had just come up, I leaned over the side, and kept shouting "Himilco! Himilco!"
Day was beginning to dawn, and in the glimmering light I could just distinguish Chamai; he had cast himself down before the cabin-door, and was imploring the God of Israel to spare the lives of the two women, even though it should please Him to destroy the lives of all beside.
Noticing the agitation of my voice, Hanno rushed towards me, expressing his alarm that something must have happened to our good pilot. I was telling him how much I feared that he had been washed overboard, when a voice reached me from behind:
"All right; I came down on my head;" and Himilco emerged from the hold with a goat-skin in his hands.
His appearance was a great relief, the more so when he explained that he was quite unhurt.
"The water carried me clean over the hatchway," he said; "and by good luck my head struck against this goat-skin in the hold. Strange to say the goat-skin hasn't burst. Praise to the good Cabiri! they have been good guardians. But what has become of Cadmus, who was at the helm?"
I could only point mournfully to the sea. Himilco seemed to comprehend, but he made no reply, and having seated himself upon the poop, began to refresh himself with the contents of the goat-skin he had found.