About mid-day there was a sudden lull. The wind blew nearly as hard as ever, but the clouds were broken up, allowing a few gleams of sunshine to pass through, and soon after the sky seemed to be completely swept; the streaming wharves and streets began to show patches of dry paving, and nearly every vessel near was hung with the men’s oilskins, Rodd being one of the first to shed his awkward garments and come out looking more like himself.
There was such a transformation scene, and all looked so bright in the sunshine, that the boy took the first opportunity to ask the skipper what he thought of it now.
“Just the same as I did before, my lad,” he replied bluntly. “Here, it’s only mid-day, and mid-day aren’t to-night, and to-night aren’t to-morrow morning. Just you wait.”
“Oh, I’ll wait,” said Rodd, “but I think we ought to start off as soon as we can, and get right away to sea.”
“Do you?” said the captain gruffly. “Well, I don’t.”
After dinner Uncle Paul had a few words with the skipper, and then shook his head at his nephew, who was watching them inquiringly.
“No, my lad,” he said, “it won’t do; the captain says there’s more bad weather coming; but we’ll go and have a look round the town if you like.”
Rodd did like as a matter of course, and with the sun now shining brightly as if there were no prospect of more rain for a month, they were rowed ashore, Rodd noticing as they went that the crew of the brig seemed to be very busy, a couple of boats going to and fro fetching stores of some kind from the nearest wharf, but what he could not make out.
Then came a good ramble through the busy place, where everybody seemed to be taking advantage of the cessation of the storm, and Rodd noted everything to as great an extent as a hurried visit would allow.
There was plenty to see, the forts, one each side of the harbour, and a couple more on the higher ground, displaying their grinning embrasures and guns commanding the harbour and the town, while soldiery in their rather shabby-looking uniforms could be seen here and there, and sentries turned the visitors back upon each occasion when they went near.