rutus_, which had been a seventy-four cut down, and now mounted from
forty-six to fifty guns. We saw men and stages over the sides of the
French ships stopping shot-holes, and we heard that one of them had sunk
in harbour.

I was in hopes that we should go back to Sheerness to refit, and that I
might thus have an opportunity of getting home. I had done my duty
during the action, so had every one else. The wind freshening during
the night, the hands were ordered up aloft to shorten sail.

"Be smart, my lads," I heard the officer of the watch sing out, "or we
may have the masts over the sides."

I was on the main-topsail yard-arm to leeward, when, just as I was about
to take hold of the ear-ring, the ship gave a lurch, the foot rope,
which must have been damaged, gave way, and before I could secure
myself, I was jerked off into the sea. It was better than falling on
deck, where I should have been killed, to a certainty. I sang out, but
no one heard me, and to my horror, I saw the ship surging on through the
darkness, and I was soon left far astern. I shouted again and again,
but the flapping of the sails, the rattling of the blocks, and the
howling of the wind drowned my voice.

At the same time the main-topgallant mast with its sail and yard was
carried away. I saw what had happened, and I feared that two poor
fellows who had been handing the sail must have been killed. Their fate
made me for the moment forget my own perilous condition. When I saw
that I had no hope of regaining the ship, I threw myself on my back to
recover my breath, and then looked about, as I rose to the top of a sea,
to ascertain if there was anything floating near at hand on which I
might secure myself. Though I could see nothing, I did not give way to
despair, but resolved to struggle to the last for life. Having rested,
I swam on until a dark object appeared before me. It was a boat, which,
though filled with water, would, I hoped, support me. I clambered into
her, and after resting, examined her condition. She was, as far as I
could ascertain, uninjured. I had my hat on, secured by a lanyard, and
immediately set to work to bale her out with it. I succeeded better
than I could have expected, for though the sea occasionally washed into
her, I managed by degrees to gain upon the water. At length I found
that her gunwale floated three or four inches above the surface. This
encouraged me to go on, and before daybreak she was almo