A THREATENED SHIPWRECK. 131 



Alicant', a fruiterer. I don't exactly know -whether 

 she was a brig or a schooner, but she had two masts, 

 and I remember she had what I call D-sai]s.* She 

 was a beautiful little thing, just like a gentleman's 

 yacht. Well, sir, it was on the 6th of December, 

 about four or five winters ago, that there was a 

 report in Ilfracombe, about a vessel going on the 

 rocks at Hele. Almost the whole town went out to 

 see, and I went among the rest. 0, it was such a 

 dreadful sight ! It was blowing a perfect storm, and 

 the sea upon the rocks was rolling mountains high ! 

 The little vessel had dropped her anchor just within 

 the cove ; every body was expecting that every wave 

 would loose her hold, and then there would have been 

 no help, but she must have been immediately dashed 

 to pieces on the rocks. We gould see the crew 

 standing up, and could hear their cries and screams 

 for help. One gentleman wanted to strip and swim 

 off to her, but the people held him back, because you 

 know, sir, though he was a very good swimmer, he 

 could not have given them any assistance. The hob- 

 blers, (that is what we call the men that own little 

 boats, and get their living partly by fishing, partly by 

 piloting, and partly by letting out their boats for 

 hire) wanted to try to go round to her from Ilfra- 

 combe, to bring the crew ashore, for there are no boats 

 at Hele ; but the hobblers' wives hung round them, 

 and some even went down on their knees, beseeching 



* This odd expression she explained. It was an original and inge- 

 nious mode of indicating what are technically called "square-sails," 

 looked at edge-wise, when bellying out before the wind ; the mast 

 being the upright part of the D. 



