on the
Bell Rock, when the master had himself so confidently declared they
were running from it for some hours, appeared a mystery: but this was
no time for arguing the matter. Captain Monke saw the danger both to
the ship and all on board: he ordered the drum to beat to quarters,
and the men were soon on deck and each at his post Having assured
himself that the rudder was not damaged, the captain ordered the
foretack to be hauled on board, and the yards to be braced with the
larboard brace, which was done without loss of time. The lead was
cast, to ascertain the depth of water, which the quarter-master
reported to be twelve feet. The ship, which at first had taken the
ground easily, now began to strike with great violence; and when they
found that she did not forge ahead, the yards were braced aback, but
to no better purpose, for she remained hard and fast as before.

Land was now seen to leeward, and the master changed his opinion, and
imagined that the frigate had struck on the Isle of May; but the pilot
thought they were on shore in St. Andrew's Bay, and blamed the master
for having hauled too soon. As the tide was falling, there was little
hope of getting the ship afloat, although this was so far fortunate,
that it afforded a better chance of escape for the crew.

Orders were given to man the pumps, and the people obeyed with
alacrity, and worked by turns throughout the night with the utmost
vigour. The ship seemed to come up easier for a time, and the
carpenter reported twelve feet water in the hold. When the moon rose,
the position of the frigate with regard to the land was discovered;
and as the tide ebbed, her larboard bow appeared to be but a short
distance from the nearest rocks. From the time of the ship's striking,
guns had been fired as signals of distress, to arouse the attention of
the inhabitants of the coast, and these signals were soon answered by
lights displayed along the shore, and large fires kindled on the
beach. The glare of the torches moving to and fro on the shore denoted
the inclination of the people to render assistance to the unfortunate
vessel. Voices were heard hailing the ship, but it was impossible to
distinguish the words. The boatswain and carpenter, and some others,
declared that the men said, 'You are in St. Andrew's Bay--come on
shore,' Upon this, the boatswain and gunner volunteered to land with
two men in a small prize skiff, for the purpose of reconnoitring the
beach. This pr