gangway, they did not offer to shut
the companion door, which would have remained open had I not closed
it. The tempest, gloom, and danger that thickened around us, neither
elicited from them any expressions of mutual regard, nor seemed to
produce the slightest sympathetic emotion in their bosoms. They gazed
sternly at each other and at me, and every time the vessel rolled,
clung with convulsive eagerness to whatever lay within their reach.

About sunset our attention was attracted by a dreadful roaring, which
evidently did not proceed from the waves around us; but the atmosphere
being very hazy, we were unable to ascertain the cause of it for a
long time. At length we distinguished a range of high cliffs, against
which the sea beat with terrible fury. Whenever the surge broke upon
them, large jets of foam started up to a great height, and flashed
angrily over their black and rugged surfaces, while the wind moaned
and whistled with fearful caprice among the projecting points of rock.
A dense mist covered the upper part of the cliffs, and prevented us
from seeing if there were any houses upon their summits, though this
point appeared of little importance, for we drifted towards the shore
so fast that immediate death seemed inevitable.

We soon felt our vessel bound twice against the sand, and in a little
time after a heavy sea carried her up the beach, where she remained
imbedded and hard aground. During the ebb of the waves there was not
more than two feet of water round her bows. I immediately perceived
this, and watching a favourable opportunity, swung myself down to the
beach by means of part of the cable that projected through the
hawse-hole. I began to run towards the cliffs the moment my feet
touched the ground, and Angerstoff attempted to follow me, that he
might prevent my escape; but, while in the act of descending from the
vessel, the sea flowed in with such violence that he was obliged to
spring on board again to save himself from being overwhelmed by its
waters.

I hurried on and began to climb up the rocks, which were very steep
and slippery; but I soon grew breathless from fatigue, and found it
necessary to stop. It was now almost dark, and when I looked around, I
neither saw anything distinctly, nor could form the least idea how far
I had still to ascend before I reached the top of the cliffs. I knew
not which way to turn my steps, and remained irresolute, till the
barking of a dog faintly struck my ea