to be lashed to the pumps to save them from falling or being
washed overboard. At length a tremendously heavy sea swept over the
ship, from stem to stern, carrying away the whole of the bulwarks,
smashing the deck-house and long-boat to pieces, carrying two boats off
the gallows, tearing the booms adrift, staving in the front of the poop
cabins, and--worst of all--killing four men who were working at the
pumps. Captain Baker now abandoned all hope of saving the ship, and
gave orders to prepare the boats for launching. And now the full
measure of their disaster became for the first time known; for upon
proceeding to investigate, as well as they could in the pitchy darkness,
it was found that they absolutely had not a boat left capable of
floating. This fact once ascertained, all hands beat a retreat to the
cabin, there to consult together, in such shelter as it afforded,
regarding the most desirable steps to be taken. It was soon found,
however, that the sea surged into the cabin in such overwhelming deluges
that they ran the utmost risk of being drowned if they remained there,
and they were, therefore, compelled to turn out again and seek for
safety on the poop. There the day-dawn found them, shivering with cold,
wet to the skin, and drenched every moment by the pelting, pitiless sea,
hungry, thirsty, and hopeless--when once they had had an opportunity of
seeing the condition of the battered hull that supported them, and were
fully able to realise the absolute impossibility of doing _anything_ to
help themselves. They could not even build a raft for themselves, every
scrap of movable timber having been swept away during the darkness of
night. True, there was the wreck of the spars still alongside; and if
the ship would but remain afloat until the weather moderated, something
might possibly be done with them, but not until then. So they could
only crouch there on the wet exposed poop, with the sea washing
continuously over them, and the raw wind penetrating their saturated
clothing, and hope dubiously that some ship might heave in sight in time
to save them. And thus they remained until we took them off.

At sundown the gale broke, the wind moderated and came out from the
eastward, and by midnight we were once more bowling along upon our
course under royals. The next morning, when I went on deck, I found
that Roberts had been busy during the whole of his watch getting the
studding-sails set; and, in short, it p