remember，seemedtomesufficientlyplausibleinperusal-nowworeaverydifferentandunsatisfactoryaspect。Theideagenerallyreceivedisthatthis，aswellasthreesmallervorticesamongtheFerroeislands，“havenoothercausethanthecollisionofwavesrisingandfalling，atfluxandreflux，againstaridgeofrocksandshelves，whichconfinesthewatersothatitprecipitatesitselflikeacataract；andthusthehigherthefloodrises，thedeepermustthefallbe，andthenaturalresultofallisawhirlpoolorvortex，theprodigioussuctionofwhichissufficientlyknownbylesserexperiments。”-ThesearethewordsoftheEncyclop鎑iaBritannica。
KircherandothersimaginethatinthecentreofthechanneloftheMaelstr鰉isanabysspenetratingtheglobe，andissuinginsomeveryremotepart-theGulfofBothniabeingsomewhatdecidedlynamedinoneinstance。Thisopinion，idleinitself，wastheonetowhich，asIgazed，myimaginationmostreadilyassented；and，mentioningittotheguide，Iwasrathersurprisedtohearhimsaythat，althoughitwastheviewalmostuniversallyentertainedofthesubjectbytheNorwegians，itneverthelesswasnothisown。Astotheformernotionheconfessedhisinabilitytocomprehendit；andhereIagreedwithhim-for，howeverconclusiveonpaper，itbecomesaltogetherunintelligible，andevenabsurd，amidthethunderoftheabyss。
“Youhavehadagoodlookatthewhirlnow。”saidtheoldman，“andifyouwillcreeproundthiscrag，soastogetinitslee，anddeadentheroarofthewater，IwilltellyouastorythatwillconvinceyouIoughttoknowsomethingoftheMoskoe-str鰉。”
Iplacedmyselfasdesired，andheproceeded。
“Myselfandmytwobrothersonceownedaschooner-riggedsmackofaboutseventytonsburthen，withwhichwewereinthehabitoffishingamongtheislandsbeyondMoskoe，nearlytoVurrgh。Inallviolenteddiesatseathereisgoodfishing，atproperopportunities，ifonehasonlythecouragetoattemptit；butamongthewholeoftheLofodencoastmen，wethreeweretheonlyoneswhomadearegularbusinessofgoingouttotheislands，asItellyou。Theusualgroundsareagreatwaylowerdowntothesouthward。Therefishcanbegotatallhours，withoutmuchrisk，andthereforetheseplacesarepreferred。Thechoicespotsoverhereamongtherocks，however，notonlyyieldthefinestvariety，butinfargreaterabundance；sothatweoftengotinasingleday，whatthemoretimidofthecraftcouldnotscrapetogetherinaweek。Infact，wemadeitamatterofdesperatespeculation-theriskoflifestandinginsteadoflabor，andcourageansweringforcapital。
“Wekeptthesmackinacoveaboutfivemileshigherupthecoastthanthis；anditwasourpractice，infineweather，totakeadvantageofthefifteenminutes’slacktopushacrossthemainchanneloftheMoskoe-str鰉，farabovethepool，andthendropdownuponanchoragesomewherenearOtterholm，orSandflesen，wheretheeddiesarenotsoviolentaselsewhere。Hereweusedtoremainuntilnearlytimeforslack-wateragain，whenweweighedandmadeforhome。
Weneversetoutuponthisexpeditionwithoutasteadysidewindforgoingandcoming-onethatwefeltsurewouldnotfailusbeforeourreturn-andweseldommadeamis-calculationuponthispoint。Twice，duringsixyears，wewereforcedtostayallnightatanchoronaccountofadeadcalm，whichisararethingindeedjustabouthere；andoncewehadtoremainonthegroundsnearlyaweek，starvingtodeath，owingtoagalewhichblewupshortlyafterourarrival，andmadethechanneltooboisteroustobethoughtof。Uponthisoccasionweshouldhavebeendrivenouttoseainspiteofeverything，forthewhirlpoolsthrewusroundandroundsoviolently，that，atlength，wefouledouranchoranddraggeditifithadnotbeenthatwedriftedintooneoftheinnumerablecrosscurrents-hereto-dayandgoneto-morrow-whichdroveusundertheleeofFlimen，where，bygoodluck，webroughtup。
“Icouldnottellyouthetwentiethpartofthedifficultiesweencountered’onthegrounds’-itisabadspottobein，eveningoodweather-butwemadeshiftalwaystorunthegauntletoftheMoskoe-str鰉itselfwithoutaccident；althoughattimesmyhearthasbeeninmymouthwhenwehappenedtobeaminuteorsobehindorbeforetheslack。Thewindsometimeswasnotasstrongaswethoughtitatstarting，andthenwemaderatherlesswaythanwecouldwish，whilethecurrentrenderedthesmackunmanageable。Myeldestbrotherhadasoneighteenyearsold，andIhadtwostoutboysofmyown。
Thesewouldhavebeenofgreatassistanceatsuchtimes，inusingthesweeps，aswellasafterwardinfishing-but，somehow，althoughwerantheriskourselves，wehadnotthehearttolettheyoungonesgetintothedanger-for，afterallissaidanddone，it_was_ahorribledanger，andthatisthetruth。
“ItisnowwithinafewdaysofthreeyearssincewhatIamgoingtotellyouoccurred。ItwasonthetenthdayofJuly，18-，adaywhichthepeopleofthispartoftheworldwillneverforget-foritwasoneinwhichblewthemostterriblehurricanethatevercameoutoftheheavens。Andyetallthemorning，andindeeduntillateintheafternoon，therewasagentleandsteadybreezefromthesouth-west，whilethesunshonebrightly，sothattheoldestseamanamonguscouldnothaveforeseenwhatwastofollow。
“Thethreeofus-mytwobrothersandmyself-hadcrossedovertotheislandsabouttwoo’clockP。M。，andhadsoonnearlyloadedthesmackwithfinefish，which，weallremarked，weremoreplentythatdaythanwehadeverknownthem。Itwasjustseven，_bymywatch_，whenweweighedandstartedforhome，soastomaketheworstoftheStr鰉atslackwater，whichweknewwouldbeateight。
“Wesetoutwithafreshwindonourstarboardquarter，andforsometimespankedalongatagreatrate，neverdreamingofdanger，forindeedwesawnottheslightestreasontoapprehendit。AllatonceweweretakenabackbyabreezefromoverHelseggen。Thiswasmostunusual-somethingthathadneverhappenedtousbefore-andI
begantofeelalittleuneasy，withoutexactlyknowingwhy。Weputtheboatonthewind，butcouldmakenoheadwayatallfortheeddies，andIwasuponthepointofproposingtoreturntotheanchorage，when，lookingastern，wesawthewholehorizoncoveredwithasingularcopper-coloredcloudthatrosewiththemostamazingvelocity。
“Inthemeantimethebreezethathadheadedusofffellaway，andweweredeadbecalmed，driftingaboutineverydirection。Thisstateofthings，however，didnotlastlongenoughtogiveustimetothinkaboutit。Inlessthanaminutethestormwasuponus-inlessthantwotheskywasentirelyovercast-andwhatwiththisandthedrivingspray，itbecamesuddenlysodarkthatwecouldnotseeeachotherinthesmack。
“Suchahurricaneasthenblewitisfollytoattemptdescribing。
TheoldestseamaninNorwayneverexperiencedanythinglikeit。Wehadletoursailsgobytherunbeforeitcleverlytookus；but，atthefirstpuff，bothourmastswentbytheboardasiftheyhadbeensawedoff-themainmasttakingwithitmyyoungestbrother，whohadlashedhimselftoitforsafety。
“Ourboatwasthelightestfeatherofathingthateversatuponwater。Ithadacompleteflushdeck，withonlyasmallhatchnearthebow，andthishatchithadalwaysbeenourcustomtobattendownwhenabouttocrosstheStr鰉，bywayofprecautionagainstthechoppingseas。Butforthiscircumstanceweshouldhavefounderedatonce-
forwelayentirelyburiedforsomemoments。HowmyelderbrotherescapeddestructionIcannotsay，forIneverhadanopportunityofascertaining。Formypart，assoonasIhadlettheforesailrun，I
threwmyselfflatondeck，withmyfeetagainstthenarrowgunwaleofthebow，andwithmyhandsgraspingaring-boltnearthefootofthefore-mast。Itwasmereinstinctthatpromptedmetodothis-whichwasundoubtedlytheverybestthingIcouldhavedone-forIwastoomuchflurriedtothink。
“Forsomemomentswewerecompletelydeluged，asIsay，andallthistimeIheldmybreath，andclungtothebolt。WhenIcouldstanditnolongerIraisedmyselfuponmyknees，stillkeepingholdwithmyhands，andthusgotmyheadclear。Presentlyourlittleboatgaveherselfashake，justasadogdoesincomingoutofthewater，andthusridherself，insomemeasure，oftheseas。Iwasnowtryingtogetthebetterofthestuporthathadcomeoverme，andtocollectmysensessoastoseewhatwastobedone，whenIfeltsomebodygraspmyarm。Itwasmyelderbrother，andmyheartleapedforjoy，forI
hadmadesurethathewasoverboard-butthenextmomentallthisjoywasturnedintohorror-forheputhismouthclosetomyear，andscreamedouttheword’_Moskoe-str鰉！_’
“Nooneeverwillknowwhatmyfeelingswereatthatmoment。I
shookfromheadtofootasifIhadhadthemostviolentfitoftheague。Iknewwhathemeantbythatonewordwellenough-Iknewwhathewishedtomakemeunderstand。Withthewindthatnowdroveuson，wewereboundforthewhirloftheStr鰉，andnothingcouldsaveus！
“YouperceivethatincrossingtheStr鰉_channel_，wealwayswentalongwayupabovethewhirl，eveninthecalmestweather，andthenhadtowaitandwatchcarefullyfortheslack-butnowweweredrivingrightuponthepoolitself，andinsuchahurricaneasthis！
’Tobesure，’Ithought，’weshallgettherejustabouttheslack-
thereissomelittlehopeinthat’-butinthenextmomentIcursedmyselfforbeingsogreatafoolastodreamofhopeatall。Iknewverywellthatweweredoomed，hadwebeententimesaninety-gunship。
“Bythistimethefirstfuryofthetempesthadspentitself，orperhapswedidnotfeelitsomuch，aswescuddedbeforeit，butatalleventstheseas，whichatfirsthadbeenkeptdownbythewind，andlayflatandfrothing，nowgotupintoabsolutemountains。A
singularchange，too，hadcomeovertheheavens。Aroundineverydirectionitwasstillasblackaspitch，butnearlyoverheadthereburstout，allatonce，acircularriftofclearsky-asclearasI
eversaw-andofadeepbrightblue-andthroughitthereblazedforththefullmoonwithalustrethatIneverbeforeknewhertowear。Shelitupeverythingaboutuswiththegreatestdistinctness-but，ohGod，whatasceneitwastolightup！
“Inowmadeoneortwoattemptstospeaktomybrother-but，insomemannerwhichIcouldnotunderstand，thedinhadsoincreasedthatIcouldnotmakehimhearasingleword，althoughIscreamedatthetopofmyvoiceinhisear。Presentlyheshookhishead，lookingaspaleasdeath，andhelduponeofhisfinger，asiftosay_’listen！’_
“AtfirstIcouldnotmakeoutwhathemeant-butsoonahideousthoughtflasheduponme。Idraggedmywatchfromitsfob。Itwasnotgoing。Iglancedatitsfacebythemoonlight，andthenburstintotearsasIflungitfarawayintotheocean。_Ithadrundownatseveno’clock！Wewerebehindthetimeoftheslack，andthewhirloftheStr鰉wasinfullfury！_
“Whenaboatiswellbuilt，properlytrimmed，andnotdeepladen，thewavesinastronggale，whensheisgoinglarge，seemalwaystoslipfrombeneathher-whichappearsverystrangetoalandsman-
andthisiswhatiscalled_riding_，inseaphrase。Well，sofarwehadriddentheswellsverycleverly；butpresentlyagiganticseahappenedtotakeusrightunderthecounter，andboreuswithitasitrose-up-up-asifintothesky。Iwouldnothavebelievedthatanywavecouldrisesohigh。Andthendownwecamewithasweep，aslide，andaplunge，thatmademefeelsickanddizzy，asifIwasfallingfromsomeloftymountain-topinadream。ButwhilewewereupIhadthrownaquickglancearound-andthatoneglancewasallsufficient。Isawourexactpositioninaninstant。TheMoskoe-Str鰉
whirlpoolwasaboutaquarterofamiledeadahead-butnomoreliketheevery-dayMoskoe-Str鰉，thanthewhirlasyounowseeitislikeamill-race。IfIhadnotknownwherewewere，andwhatwehadtoexpect，Ishouldnothaverecognisedtheplaceatall。Asitwas，I
involuntarilyclosedmyeyesinhorror。Thelidsclenchedthemselvestogetherasifinaspasm。
“Itcouldnothavebeenmorethantwominutesafterwarduntilwesuddenlyfeltthewavessubside，andwereenvelopedinfoam。Theboatmadeasharphalfturntolarboard，andthenshotoffinitsnewdirectionlikeathunderbolt。Atthesamemomenttheroaringnoiseofthewaterwascompletelydrownedinakindofshrillshriek-suchasoundasyoumightimaginegivenoutbythewaste-pipesofmanythousandsteam-vessels，lettingofftheirsteamalltogether。Wewerenowinthebeltofsurfthatalwayssurroundsthewhirl；andI
thought，ofcourse，thatanothermomentwouldplungeusintotheabyss-downwhichwecouldonlyseeindistinctlyonaccountoftheamazingvelocitywithwhichweworebornealong。Theboatdidnotseemtosinkintothewateratall，buttoskimlikeanair-bubbleuponthesurfaceofthesurge。Herstarboardsidewasnextthewhirl，andonthelarboardarosetheworldofoceanwehadleft。Itstoodlikeahugewrithingwallbetweenusandthehorizon。
“Itmayappearstrange，butnow，whenwewereintheveryjawsofthegulf，Ifeltmorecomposedthanwhenwewereonlyapproachingit。
Havingmadeupmymindtohopenomore，Igotridofagreatdealofthatterrorwhichunmannedmeatfirst。Isupposeitwasdespairthatstrungmynerves。