dull sailer.

To avoid the risk of capture, the convoy had steered a more northerly
course than is usual, and had not kept east till nearly in the latitude
of Newfoundland.

"We were constantly lagging behind, and the frigate had to come and whip
us up so often that we completely lost our character in the fleet,"
continued Flood. "We did our best to keep up with the rest of the
convoy, by setting every stitch of canvas we could carry; but nothing
would do, and we should have had to heave part of the cargo overboard to
have enabled her to keep up with the rest. At length we were overtaken
by a gale of wind, and we had to heave-to. We thought that the rest of
the fleet were doing the same near us. It was night. When morning
broke not a sail was to be seen. We were more likely to fall into the
hands of the enemy, but still we could take our own time, and we thought
that we were less likely to meet with an accident than when, blow high
or low, we had to press her with canvas. However, we were mistaken. We
had been driven a long way to the nor'ard of the Gulf Stream, and the
weather was cold and bad, when one night, just as I had come on deck to
keep the middle watch, and had gone to the wheel, I looked up and
thought I saw a great white glittering cloud right ahead of us. I sang
out, and the first mate, who was officer of the watch, crying, `Hard
a-lee!' ran forward. I put down the helm, but scarcely had I done so
before I saw what I knew to be a huge iceberg rising up directly ahead
of us. I fully believed that our last moments were come. It appeared
to me as if the ship was running into a cavern in the side of some vast
mountain of marble. I held my breath. If my hair ever stood on end, I
believe that it did on that occasion. My eyeballs seemed starting from
their sockets. I felt the blood leave my cheeks and rush round my
heart, as if it would burst. A terrific crash came. There were
despairing shrieks and cries. I thought the brig was lost. The
bowsprit was carried away; the foremast came toppling down, and at the
same time a sea struck the ship, and swept over the decks. I held on by
the wheel. The captain rushed on deck just as the sea had passed over
us. I felt the brig rebound as it were from the iceberg, and I found
that we were drifting away from it. The two men who were below came on
deck at the same time the captain did. We shouted to our companions.
We looked about aboard and around u