contrary, got hold of one of the boats, and began to
lower her into the water. The captain prayed and begged of them to
desist, but they would not hearken to him. There were some of the crew
and some of the passengers, and when he tried to prevent them they
threatened to heave him overboard. At last they got the boat into the
water, and eight of them jumped into her and shoved off from the ship's
side. In an instant, as he had told them it would be, the boat was
capsized, and all hands were thrown into the raging sea. One poor
wretch had on a life-preserver--he thought, at all events, that he was
all safe, and that he could not drown; the rest had nothing to float
them. For half a minute their cries were heard, and then they sank
nearly all together, and his voice alone struck our ears, shrieking out
for help, but no help could be given him. He was striking out for the
ship, I judged; sometimes by his voice he seemed to have got nearer, but
that might have been my fancy; then a sea came rolling by, and drove him
farther off again. It was very dreadful to hear that poor dying wretch,
and not be able to help him. He was a strong man, and for long
struggled on; nearly an hour perhaps passed, but his voice grew fainter
and fainter, and at last was no longer heard.

"All this time the ship was striking heavily, hammering away on the rock
as if she was pile-driving. We burned all the blue lights we had on
board, in the hopes of drawing the attention of some fishermen or other
passing craft; but they only enabled those on board to see the horrors
of our situation. Nearly four hours had thus passed, when a shout from
the cook, who said he saw a signal, made us fancy help was coming to us;
but in another minute we found that it was only the moon rising through
a gap in the clouds. We all earnestly longed for morning, for till
daylight came we could do nothing. The moon only served to show us more
clearly the horrors of our situation. Piece after piece of the vessel
was washed away, but still all those who remained round the captain were
safe. At last there was a faint light in the east; it grew stronger and
stronger, and there was twilight enough to let us see to the distance of
a mile or two. About a mile off appeared a rock high enough out of the
water to serve us as a refuge. The captain at once ordered a boat to be
lowered, and all the women and children to be put into her, with five
men to pull her to the r