ach the galley and sleep on shore, for we had been out five days, and
only put a pilot on board of one vessel. We were just to windward of
the Sands, out there, where I am now pointing: the sea was very rough,
but the night was clear, and the moon shone bright, when we saw a brig
running down before the wind, under foresail, and close-reefed topsails.
`Why, Bill, as she steers she'll be right between the Calipers,' said I
to the man sitting by me. `There's no mistake about that,' replied he:
`let's haul the fore-sheet to windward, and lay to, to hail him; he's
coming right down upon us.' Well, we did so, and we hailed some time
without any answer. At last a man looked over the gunnel, just as she
was flying past us, and told us in Dutch to go to the devil. `I think
you'll go there if you don't look sharp,' replied Bill. `Come, my lads,
we may as well follow, her, and see if we cannot prevent mischief.' So
we bore up after her, and hailed her several times, for we sailed very
fast, and there was a scuffling on deck: I think that the captain was
drunk. All this passed in less than five minutes; and then, as I knew
would be the case, she struck on the sands, and with such force that all
her masts went over the side immediately. Now, the sea rolls awfully
over the shallow water of those sands, Tom. We had kept with her as far
as we dared, and then hove-to about two cables' lengths to windward of
her, when she struck, for the ebb was still running strong under our
lee, which only made the sea more cross and heavy. The waves made a
clean breach over her, and we knew that she would go to pieces in less
than half an hour; but we did not like to leave so many to perish
without a trial to save them; so we kept away, so as to get abreast of
them, and then lowered our sails and got out our oars. We pulled close
to them, but it was impossible to board: we should have been stove to
pieces and swamped immediately. The moon still shone bright, and we saw
them as plain as we could wish,--and we made every attempt to save them,
for they were all crowded together forward. Once the sea drove the boat
so close that we touched her sides, and then a woman pressed before the
men, and reached over the gunnel, extending her arms which held the
child, while several others attempted to get in; but the return of the
wave carried us back so quick from the vessel, that, as they attempted
to jump in, they all went to the water, and never ap