ley seized the axe; the
bitter end of the last line was reached. A dark sea came rolling on.
Nothing could save us from being swamped, it seemed. The axe descended,
a loud thud was heard, the line was severed. "Back off all!" cried
Medley, taking the bow oar to steer by. We pulled for our lives; the
sea broke under the bows. Scarcely till now were we conscious that,
after all our toils, the whale was lost. We had not, as we had hoped,
its huge body to hang on to, to protect us from the fury of the
fast-rising seas. Darkness had now come on; we looked out in vain for
either of the ships. The "Eagle," on finding that we did not return,
would burn blue lights to direct us to her. The "Lady Alice" would do
the same should any of her boats be absent. We pulled on against the
still rising seas. How long our boat would float amid them was
doubtful. "There's alight, boys!" cried Medley at length; but it was
away to the northward, and far off, for it only just appeared above the
horizon. To reach it we must bring the sea abeam and run a fearful risk
of being rolled over or swamped. Still the attempt must be made, unless
we were prepared to remain toiling at the oars all night, or to run the
risk of trying to reach the shore. We continued to pull on, keeping the
boat's head to the sea, when, looking round, I observed a glimmering
bluish light suddenly spring up on the starboard bow. That it was at an
immense distance I knew, as I could not distinguish the body from which
the rays of light proceeded. Medley saw it also. "She is hull down,
and it would take us till morning to reach her, even if we could do it
then," he said in a tone which showed how serious he thought our
condition. Still we could more easily reach the vessel from which the
distant light proceeded than the one on our beam.

Our situation was sufficient to alarm the stoutest hearts, and we were
all young and comparatively inexperienced. The dark sky seemed to have
come down close above our heads; the foam-covered seas came rolling on,
every instant increasing in size, while astern was the dreadful reef,
over which the furious breakers were dashing with a terrific roar. I
had given up my oar to another man, and was seated near Medley, when I
saw a small bright speck in the sky just above the horizon.

"What is that? Can it come from a ship?" I asked, pointing it out to
him. He was silent. Gradually the spot of light expanded into an arch.