7^ DANGEROUS SITUATION 



1824. parations for taking to the boats, it was evi- 

 Sept. dent to all, that the long-boat was the only one 

 which had the slightest chance of living under 

 the lee of the ship, should she be wrecked, 

 but every officer and man drew his lot with 

 the greatest composure, although two of our 

 boats would have been swamped the instant 

 they were lowered. Yet such Avas the noble 

 feeling of those around me, that it was evident 

 that had I ordered the boats in question to be 

 manned, their crcAvs would have entered them 

 without a murmur. In the afternoon, on the 

 weather clearing a little, we discovered a low 

 beach all around astern of us, on which the 

 surf was running to an awfiil height, and it 

 appeared evident that no human powers could 

 save us. At three P.M. the tide had fallen to 

 twenty-two feet, (only six more than we drew,) 

 and the ship having been lifted by a tremen- 

 dous sea, struck with great violence the whole 

 length of her keel. This we naturally con- 

 ceived was the forerunner of her total wreck, 

 and we stood in readiness to take the boats, 

 and endeavour to hang under her lee. She 

 continued to strike with sufficient force to 

 have burst any less-fortified vessel, at intervals 

 of a few minutes, whenever an unusually 

 heavy sea passed us. And, as the water was so 



