The sudden transition was startling.The moment before we had been leaping through the sunshine， the clear sky above us， the sea breaking and rolling wide to the horizon， and a ship， vomiting smoke and fire and iron missiles， rushing madly upon us.And at once， as in an instant's leap， the sun was blotted out， there was no sky， even our mastheads were lost to view， and our horizon was such as tear-blinded eyes may see.The gray mist drove by us like a rain.Every woollen filament of our garments， every hair of our heads and faces， was jewelled with a crystal globule.The shrouds were wet with moisture； it dripped from our rigging overhead； and on the under side of our booms drops of water took shape in long swaying lines， which were detached and flung to the deck in mimic showers at each surge of the schooner.I was aware of a pent， stifled feeling.As the sounds of the ship thrusting herself through the waves were hurled back upon us by the fog， so were one's thoughts.The mind recoiled from contemplation of a world beyond this wet veil which wrapped us around.This was the world， the universe itself， its bounds so near one felt impelled to reach out both arms and push them back.It was impossible that the rest could be beyond these walls of gray.The rest was a dream， no more than the memory of a dream.
It was weird， strangely weird.I looked at Maud Brewster and knew that she was similarly affected.Then I looked at Wolf Larsen， but there was nothing subjective about his state of consciousness.His whole concern was with the immediate， objective present.He still held the wheel， and I felt that he was timing Time， reckoning the passage of the minutes with each forward lunge and leeward roll of the Ghost.
"Go for'ard and hard-a-lee without any noise，" he said to me in a low voice."Clew up the topsails first.Set men at all the sheets.Let there be no rattling of blocks， no sound of voices.No noise， understand， no noise."When all was ready， the word "hard-a-lee" was passed forward to me from man to man； and the Ghost heeled about on the port tack with practically no noise at all.And what little there was， -- the slapping of a few reef-points and the creaking of a sheave in a block or two， -- was ghostly under the hollow echoing pall in which we were swathed.
We had scarcely filled away， it seemed， when the fog thinned abruptly and we were again in the sunshine， the wide-stretching sea breaking before us to the sky-line.But the ocean was bare.No wrathful Macedonia broke its surface nor blackened the sky with her smoke.
Wolf Larsen at once squared away and ran down along the rim of the fog-bank.
His trick was obvious.He had entered the fog to windward of the steamer， and while the steamer had blindly driven on into the fog in the chance of catching him he had come about and out of his shelter and was now running down to re nter to leeward.Successful in this， the old simile of the needle in the haystack would be mild indeed compared with his brother's chance of finding him.
He did not run long.Jibing the fore- and main-sails and setting the topsails again， we headed back into the bank.As we entered I could have sworn I saw a vague bulk emerging to windward.I looked quickly at Wolf Larsen.Already we were ourselves buried in the fog， but he nodded his head.He， too， had seen it -- the Macedonia ， guessing his man渦vre and failing by a moment in anticipating it.There was no doubt that we had escaped unseen.
"He can't keep this up，" Wolf Larsen said."He'll have to go back for the rest of his boats.Send a man to the wheel， Mr.Van Weyden， keep this course for the present， and you might as well set the watches， for we won't do any lingering to-night.""I'd give five hundred dollars， though，" he added， "just to be aboard the Macedonia for five minutes， listening to my brother curse.""And now， Mr.Van Weyden，" he said to me when he had been relieved from the wheel， "we must make these newcomers welcome.Serve out plenty of whiskey to the hunters and see that a few bottles slip for'ard.I'll wager every man Jack of them is over the side to- morrow， hunting for Wolf Larsen as contentedly as ever they hunted for Death Larsen.""But won't they escape as Wainwright did？" I asked.
He laughed shrewdly."Not as long as our old hunters have anything to say about it.I'm dividing amongst them a dollar a skin for all the skins shot by our new hunters.At least half of their enthusiasm to-day was due to that.Oh， no， there won't be any escaping if they have anything to say about it.And now you'd better get for'ard to your hospital duties.There must be a full ward waiting for you."