g the cry
and roar of the tempest which had suddenly struck the ship, sprang on
deck. The crew were aloft in vain struggling with the bulging topsails.
At that moment the fore-topsail, with a report like thunder, blew out
of the bolt-ropes, carrying with it two men off the lee yard-arm. The
poor fellows were sent far away to leeward into the boiling sea.

Any attempt to help them was utterly hopeless; we heard their despairing
shrieks, and for an instant saw their agonised countenances as the ship
swept by them, and all trace of them was lost. We hurried on to the
main-topsail-yard just in time to save the people there from sharing the
fate of their messmates. The courses were furled, the main-topsail
closely reefed, and the ship flew onward on her course.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

THE EMIGRANT SHIP AND OUR KIND CAPTAIN--GET ON BOARD A HOMEWARD-BOUND
SHIP--AN UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER--MY OLD CAPTAIN--A CONVERTED MAN--A
CRIPPLED SHIP--LAND AT BERMUDA--ONCE MORE SAIL FOR ENGLAND--PRESSED
AGAIN.

The good ship _Nieuwland_ made rapid progress. Though I was flying away
from home and all I longed to be with, yet anything was better than
moving slowly. If we did not fall in with any ship in which I might
return, I felt that the sooner I got to the end of the voyage, the
sooner I might be starting back again. The gale continued for several
days; the wind at length dropped and then came ahead, blowing stronger
than ever. It was now necessary to heave the ship to.

In performing the operation, a heavy sea struck her bows, and two more
of the crew were washed overboard. Happily the emigrants were below, or
many would probably have shared the same fate.

I had now what I much required, abundance of work as a seaman. When it
is well for a person to fly from his own thoughts, there is nothing like
useful occupation to help him along; nothing is so bad as to allow
oneself to dwell on one's misfortunes. The best advice I can give to a
man when he is unhappy, is to go and help others. He will find plenty
of people requiring his aid, and numbers far more unhappy than himself.

The ship had suffered a good deal during the gale, and we began to be
apprehensive for her safety should the weather continue bad; but it soon
cleared up, and we had every hopes of reaching our port in a week or ten
days at the farthest. The day after the fair weather set in, a sail was
reported ahead. As we drew near each other, we saw that she was i