il--where they were tolerably clear of
the seas that constantly broke over the vessel's upturned side--was a
group of nine men, most of them bareheaded, clad in garments that clung
to their bodies with the tenacity of clothing that has been soaked for
many consecutive hours in water.

They were in a miserable and most precarious plight, indeed; and I could
not help wondering how they had possibly managed to cling for so many
hours to so insecure a refuge--assuming, of course, that the brig had
capsized on the previous afternoon, as I surmised.

The first thing was to communicate with them; and this I first attempted
by means of the speaking trumpet. But the roar of the wind and the wash
of the sea, together with our drift--which was, of course, much more
rapid than that of the wreck--rendered my voice inaudible; so it became
necessary to resort to other methods. There happened to be a
"bull-board" kicking about the poop; and setting this up on the
skylight, where it could be distinctly seen, with its black face towards
the wreck, I got a piece of chalk, and hastily wrote upon it the
following words, one after the other, receiving a wave of the hand from
those on the wreck in token that they had deciphered each word before I
obliterated it and wrote the next:--

"Only--four--men--on--board--so--cannot--send--boat--Will--stand--by--
and--take--you--off--if--possible."

By the time that the last word of this communication had been written
and acknowledged we were some distance to leeward of the wreck, and it
became necessary to fill upon the ship once more. This done, the next
matter for determination was the means whereby we were to get the people
away from the wreck, and safe on board the barque--a problem which, had
we been fully manned, would have proved sufficiently puzzling; while,
circumstanced as we were, it seemed all but impossible.

At length, however, I hit upon a scheme that I thought might be worth
trying; and we proceeded forthwith to put it into practical shape
without more ado, since the unfortunate people on the wreck were in a
perilously exposed situation, and evidently in such a terribly exhausted
state that they might relax their hold, and be washed away at any
moment.

There were, as I have already mentioned, nine men to be rescued. Now,
the _Esmeralda_ having been, ever since she was launched, a
passenger-ship, was well found in life-saving appliances, life-buoys
among the number, of which