He sprang aft at the same time and seized the trumpet, saying shortly and harshly to Elizabeth as he passed her hurriedly, and almost without looking at her-- "This is not weather for sitting up on deck, Elizabeth.

You had better take the child below and lie down." Elizabeth saw that he was right, and went; but there was a look of pained surprise in her face as she lingered for a moment and looked after him.

He had never spoken to her like that before.
The crew had supposed that he would of course keep away and run before the gale, and not strain the old brig by beating to windward in such a night as they saw before them; and it was under mute protest, therefore, that they proceeded to carry out his orders to clap on preventer braces on the rags of sail which they were carrying.

The old blocks creaked and screamed in the increasing darkness above the rattle of the hail squalls, and the vessel careened over and went plunging into the head seas with successive shocks that seemed likely very soon to shake her to pieces.
Nils Buvaagen was standing in moody silence, with another, at the wheel, and he could see by the light from the binnacle, which occasionally fell upon Salve's face as he walked up and down near them to leeward, that he was ashy pale.

He would have liked to say something, but it didn't seem advisable.
"Topsail's flapping!" came from forward, "she'll be taken aback!" "She's an old craft, captain--her topmasts'll not bear a great deal," Nils ventured to observe.
"I'll show you that I can make the old tub go," muttered Salve between his teeth, affecting not to have heard what was said.
"Keep her away, Nils--she must have more way--and so over on a new tack," was his reply in a peremptory tone.
"Stand by to 'bout ship!" Nils sighed: such sailing was quite indefensible; and there was not one of the crew who had not the same feeling.
Through the darkness and the blinding dash of the seas came then at intervals-- "Haul in the boom--hard a-lee--brace forward--brace aft!" and here there was a longer interval, for one of the ropes on the foremast had apparently got foul, and there was a difficulty in bracing the yard, the sail flapping with a dull noise above and making the whole mast tremble.
One of the crew had to mount the old rigging at the risk of his life, and feel over the unsteady yard in the dark for the rope and disentangle it, with the white tops of the seas breaking not far under his feet.
"Sharp up aft--sharp forward!" came then again.