uld be a positive crime in a swimmer
not to spring, without waiting for orders, to the rescue of a
fellow-creature whom he sees sinking in the waves, at whatever hazard
to himself or to others; but I speak of that senseless, blindfold
style in which I have very often witnessed men pitch themselves into
the water, without knowing whether the person who had fallen overboard
was within their reach or not. Even in highly-disciplined ships this
will sometimes take place; and the circumstances which increase the
danger seem only to stimulate the boldest spirits to brave the risk. I
conceive there is no method of putting a stop to the practice but by
positively enjoining the people not to go overboard, unless expressly
ordered; and by explaining to them on every occasion when the ship's
company are exercised for this purpose, that the difficulty of picking
a man up is generally much augmented by such indiscreet zeal.

The following incidents occurred in a frigate off Cape Horn, in a gale
of wind, under close-reefed main-topsail and storm-staysails. At
half-past twelve at noon, when the people were at dinner, a young lad
was washed out of the lee fore-channels. The life-buoy was immediately
let go, and the main-topsail laid to the mast. Before the jolly-boat
could be lowered down, a man jumped overboard, as he said,
"promiscuously," for he never saw the boy at all, nor was he ever
within half-a-cable's length of the spot where he was floundering
about. Although the youth could not swim, he contrived to keep his
head above water till the boat reached him, just as he was beginning
to sink. The man who had jumped into the sea was right glad to give up
his "promiscuous" search, and to make for the life-buoy, upon which he
perched himself, and stood shivering for half-an-hour, like a shag on
the Mewstone, till the boat came to his relief.

At four o'clock of the same day a man fell from the rigging; the usual
alarm and rush took place; the lee-quarter boat was so crowded that
one of the topping lifts gave way, the davit broke, and the cutter,
now suspended by one tackle, soon knocked herself to pieces against
the ship's side. Of course, the people in her were jerked out very
quickly, so that, instead of there being only one man in the water,
there were nearly a dozen swimming about. More care was taken in
hoisting out another boat, and, strange to say, all the people were
picked up, except the original unfortunate man, who, but for