oofs; _e_ is the
room in which we were, and 2 is a plan of it on a larger scale. Look
now at 2: _a_ is the bed; _c_, _c_ the two wardrobes; _b_ the corner
in which we were. I was sitting in an arm-chair, holding my Wife; and
Tyrrell and the little Black child were close to us. We had given up all
notion of surviving; and only waited for the fall of the roof to perish
together.

"Before long the roof went. Most of the materials, however, were carried
clear away: one of the large couples was caught on the bedpost marked
_d_, and held fast by the iron spike; while the end of it hung over our
heads: had the beam fallen an inch on either side of the bedpost, it
must necessarily have crushed us. The walls did not go with the roof;
and we remained for half an hour, alternately praying to God, and
watching them as they bent, creaked, and shivered before the storm.

"Tyrrell and the child, when the roof was off, made their way through
the remains of the partition, to the outer door; and with the help of
the people who were looking for us, got into the kitchen. A good while
after they were gone, and before we knew anything of their fate, a Negro
suddenly came upon us; and the sight of him gave us a hope of safety.
When the people learned that we were in danger, and while their own huts
were flying about their ears, they crowded to help us; and the old
Cook urged them on to our rescue. He made five attempts, after saving
Tyrrell, to get to us; and four times he was blown down. The fifth time
he, and the Negro we first saw, reached the house. The space they had
to traverse was not above twenty yards of level ground, if so much. In
another minute or two, the Overseers and a crowd of Negroes, most of
whom had come on their hands and knees, were surrounding us; and with
their help Susan was carried round to the end of the house; where they
broke open the cellar window, and placed her in comparative safety. The
force of the hurricane was, by this time, a good deal diminished, or it
would have been impossible to stand before it.

"But the wind was still terrific; and the rain poured into the cellars
through the floor above. Susan, Tyrrell, and a crowd of Negroes remained
under it, for more than two hours: and I was long afraid that the wet
and cold would kill her, if she did not perish more violently. Happily
we had wine and spirits at hand, and she was much nerved by a tumbler
of claret. As soon as I saw her in comparative security,