ip; it pressed her down on
her beam-ends; over and over she went, down, down. Would she ever
right again? Ah, the spliced shrouds and stays on the weather-side,
which had been that attacked by the Randolph, finally gave way, the
mainmast went by the board about halfway below the top, the foremast at
the cap, and the mizzentopmast, too; relieved of this enormous mass of
heavy top hamper, the ship slowly righted herself. The immense mass of
wreckage beat and thundered against the port side; it was a fearful
situation, but all was not yet lost. Gallantly led by Desborough
himself, who saw in one sweeping glance that Katharine was still safe,
the men, with axes and knives, hacked through the rigging which held
the wreck of the giant spars to the ship, and after a few moments of
sickening suspense she drifted clear; a bit of storm canvas was spread
forward on the wreck of the foremast, and the ship got before the wind
and drove on, laboring and pitching in the heavy sea. The decks were
cleared; and indeed there was little left to clear, the waves having
broken over her several times when she lay in the trough of the sea,
sweeping everything out with them, and the vessel was a total
wreck,--the spars gone, rails and bulwarks battered in and smashed,
boats lost, the battle having destroyed these on the starboard side,
and the wreck and the sea the others. Stop! there was one boat left
amidships, a launch capable of holding about forty persons in a pinch,
and still seaworthy; it was, by the captain's order, promptly made as
serviceable as possible in view of the probable emergency.

About four o'clock in the afternoon the carpenter came aft with the
sounding-rod of the well in his hand. The strain had been too much for
her; some of the weakened timbers had given way, or some of the seams
had opened, or perhaps a butt had started, for the ship was leaking
badly. Still those dauntless men did not despair. The crew were told
off in gangs to work, and all night the clank, clank, of the pumps was
heard. Katharine dutifully laid down as she was bidden; but there was
no sleep for her nor any one else on the ship that long night. The day
broke again finally, but brought them no cheer: their labor had been
unavailing; the leak had gained on them so rapidly that the ship lay
low in the water, listless and inert, rolling in a sick, sluggish,
helpless way in the trough of the sea. The wind had abated somewhat,
and a boat well h