a ponderous fragment of one of
the schooner's timbers down upon the boat, literally cutting her in two
and killing poor old Simpson on the spot.

The boat at once sank from under us, leaving us all struggling for our
lives in the water. Hawsepipe was a famous swimmer, and he immediately
seized the doctor--who could not swim a stroke--and placed him in a
position of temporary safety upon the floating piece of timber which had
inflicted upon us this fresh disaster, while I looked after the injured
men who, probably owing to the shock of immersion, had suddenly so far
recovered the use of their limbs as to be able with very little
assistance to gain the same refuge.

We now found, what we had been too busy to notice before, that the
thunder-storm had nearly worn itself out; an occasional flash, low down
upon the horizon, and its long, rumbling accompaniment of distant
thunder being all that remained to remind us of it, except the frequent
gleam of sheet lightning which continued to play all round the horizon
and behind the great banks of cloud into which the black canopy overhead
had now broken.

The question calling for immediate attention was, how best to provide
for our safety. Clinging to the floating timber we were safe only as
long as it remained calm; a very gentle sea would be sufficient to wash
us from our hold. Looking round me, I perceived that we were at no
great distance from the wreck of the foremast, and I thought if all
hands could only reach it, we might be able to construct from it and the
spars attached to it a raft of sufficient capacity to accommodate us all
in some degree of comfort and safety. I mentioned my idea to Hawsepipe,
who approved of it greatly; whereupon I left him to look after the
survivors while I went to the spar. Reaching it, I was able without
much difficulty to form from the halliards of the various sails and the
other running-gear still attached to the spars a warp long enough to
reach from the foremast to the timber to which the others were clinging,
with which I swam back. Bending the end of this warp securely to the
piece of timber, Hawsepipe and I then swam to the foremast, and hauling
upon the warp, soon had the rest of the party there also.

Hawsepipe undertaking with the assistance of the others to cut the yards
adrift and separate the topmast from the lower-mast, I took another
cruise with the warp, and was fortunate enough, after swimming about for
over an hour, t