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with the water that came pouring in whole cataracts over her upturned
weather-bow as her keen stem plunged headlong into and clove
irresistibly through the heart of wave after wave, flinging a blinding
deluge of spray right aft as far as the poop, and ploughing up a whole
acre of boiling, luminous foam, to pour, hissing and roaring, far out
from under her lee bow and flash glancing past in a bewildering swirl of
buzzing, gleaming froth, while the din of the wild gale raved aloft, and
its furious buffeting almost distracted one's senses, the gallant little
barque thus fighting for her life would have presented an exhilarating
spectacle to any one; while a seaman's appreciative heart would have
thrilled with exultation at her bearing in the strife. But though
travelling fast through the water, the poor little ship was at the same
time sagging most frightfully to leeward, the staysail seeming to drag
her head two or three points off the wind at every send, and bringing
her almost broadside-on to the sea. And although we were heading fairly
well out toward the open water, I could not conceal from myself the
awkward truth that our excessive leeway was reducing our course to one
practically parallel with the trend of the coast; and sometimes I even
thought that we were slowly but surely setting in toward the land. The
fact was that the ship needed more after-sail to enable her to hold a
good luff; yet it seemed to me that it would be impossible for her to
bear any more. She was indeed rather over-pressed than otherwise, as it
was, and had I had plenty of sea-room I would have endeavoured to
relieve her of the fore-topsail at once, even at the risk of losing the
sail in the attempt to hand it. But with that relentless lee-shore in
plain view I dared not do it; it was imperative that she should carry
every thread we were then showing, and more if possible. While I was
still inwardly debating the question it was settled by the lookout
reporting land ahead! I staggered over to windward at the cry, and at
the expense of a thorough drenching, despite the oilskins I had donned
some time before, made it out, a bold lofty headland, jutting far out to
seaward, and lying dead ahead of us. The ship was embayed! The land
ahead was certainly not more than three miles distant, and the ship was
setting bodily down toward it at every plunge. The time for hesitation
was past; something had to be done, and done promptly, too, or