tion
seemed inevitable. It would not, to all human calculation, be protracted
even an hour. We were sinking down, down--inch following inch of the
fated vessel in rapid succession--down remedilessly to our graves in the
maddened sea, amid the monsters of its great deep.

I descended to the cabin, and attempted calmly to surrender myself to
Him who made me. My thoughts--oh, how they flew at once to my wife and
children at home! I attempted to pray, and for the first time since I
had left my pious mother. I _did_ pray--for my family first--and oh how
fervently, in closing my supplications, I besought for myself pardon and
forgiveness through Him who is ever ready to hear the penitent!

The water had now got on to the cabin floor, I therefore placed myself
on the stairs leading on deck. Shortly after this the wind shifted, and
in a few minutes the ship struck with a tremendous crash. I rushed on
deck, and at once saw rocks fifty feet high, and perpendicular, but a
few feet from the after part of the ship, which now soon filled with
water, and rolled over toward the land. At its fore part, and at the
only point where we could by any possibility have been saved, the rocks
descended gradually, and the foremast leaned over them. Not a moment was
to be lost. We crawled up the rigging, and, swinging ourselves on to the
rocks, made our way up the precipice on our hands and feet, and,
reaching the summit, at once sought, in holes in the rock, shelter from
the tempest, which still continued so violent that no one could stand
upon his feet.

Our escape happened about ten o'clock in the morning; at five in the
afternoon the gale had so moderated that we could stand. We then crawled
out from our hiding places, and, assembling together, found that all
were safe except my brother, who was mate of the ship, and he, we
supposed, was lost, in attempting to get on shore. We soon, as was very
natural, approached the precipice to learn the fate of the ship. Nothing
was to be seen of her but plank, timbers, spars, sails, and rigging, all
in one confused, broken mass, and washing up against the rocks. It was
truly to us a most deplorable spectacle. We had no resource in the
vessel; not a thing of value was left.

As night was approaching, we now walked along before the wind toward the
south part of the island, and there found, by the side of a huge pile of
rocks, a hole or sort of cave, about eight feet square and five feet
high. Here we al