out, "Vanderdecken,
again! Vanderdecken, again! I see them letting down a boat."

All who were on deck ran to the bows. The next flash of lightning
shone far and wide over the raging sea, and showed us not only the
Flying Dutchman at a distance, but also a boat coming from her with
four men. The boat was within two cables' length of our ship's side.

The man who first saw her ran to the captain, and asked whether they
should hail her or not. The captain, walking about in great agitation,
made no reply. The first mate cried, "Who's going to heave a rope to
that boat?" The men looked at each other without offering to do
anything. The boat had come very near the chains, when Tom Willis
called out, "What do you want? or what devil has blown you here in
such weather?" A piercing voice from the boat replied in English, "We
want to speak with your captain." The captain took no notice of this,
and Vanderdecken's boat having come close alongside, one of the men
came upon deck, and appeared like a fatigued and weatherbeaten seaman,
holding some letters in his hand.

Our sailors all drew back. The chaplain, however, looking steadfastly
upon him, went forward a few steps, and asked, "What is the purpose of
this visit?"

The stranger replied, "We have long been kept here by foul weather,
and Vanderdecken wishes to send these letters to his friends in
Europe."

Our captain now came forward, and said as firmly as he could, "I wish
Vanderdecken would put his letters on board of any other vessel
rather than mine."

The stranger replied, "We have tried many a ship, but most of them
refuse our letters."

Upon which, Tom Willis muttered, "It will be best for us if we do the
same, for they say there is sometimes a sinking weight in your paper."

The stranger took no notice of this, but asked where we were from. On
being told that we were from Portsmouth, he said, as if with strong
feeling, "Would that you had rather been from Amsterdam. Oh that we
saw it again!--We must see our friends again." When he uttered these
words, the men who were in the boat below wrung their hands, and cried
in a piercing tone, in Dutch, "Oh that we saw it again! We have been
long here beating about: but we must see our friends again."

The chaplain asked the stranger, "How long have you been at sea?"

He replied, "We have lost our count; for our almanac was blown
overboard. Our ship, you see, is there still; so why should you ask
how long we have be