70 THE SEA. 



to enter the boats before the means of escape are presented to the women and children/' 

 To prevent any rush of troops or sailors to the boats, the officers were stationed near 

 them with drawn swords. But, to do the soldiers and seamen justice, it was little needed ; 

 the former particularly keeping perfect order, and assisting to save the ladies and 

 children and private passengers generally. Some of the women and children were placed 

 in the first boat, which was immediately lowered into a sea so tempestuous that there was 

 great danger that it would be swamped, while the lowering-tackle not being properly 

 disengaged at the stern, there was a great prospect for a few moments that its living 

 freight would be upset in the water. A sailor, however, succeeded in cutting the ropes 

 with an axe, and the first boat got off safely. 



The Cambria had been intentionally lain at some distance from the Kent, lest she 

 should be involved in her explosion, or exposed to the fire from the guns, which, being 

 all shotted, went off as the flames reached them. The men had a considerable distance 

 to row, and the success of the first experiment was naturally looked upon as the measure 

 of their future hopes. The movements of this boat were watched with intense anxiety 

 by all on board. " The better to balance the boat in the raging sea through which it 

 had to pass, and to enable the seamen to ply their oars, the women and children were 

 stowed promiscuously under the seats, and consequently exposed to the risk of being 

 drowned by the continual dashing of the spray over their heads, which so filled the boat 

 during the passage that before their arrival at the brig the poor females were sitting 

 up to their waists in water, and their children kept with the greatest difficulty above 

 it/' Happily, at the expiration of twenty minutes, the cutter was seen alongside their 

 ark of refuge. The next difficulty was to get the ladies and children on board the 

 Cambria, for the sea was running high, and there was danger of the boat being swamped 

 or stove against the side of the brig. The children were almost thrown on board, while 

 the women had to spring towards the many friendly arms extended from the vessel, when 

 the waves lifted the boat momentarily in the right position. However, all were safely 

 transferred to the brig without serious mishap. 



It became impossible for the boats, after the first trip, to come alongside the Kent, 

 and a plan was adopted for lowering the women and children from the stern by tying 

 them two and two together. The heaving of the vessel, and the heavy sea raising the 

 boat one instant and dropping it the next, rendered this somewhat perilous. Many of 

 the poor women were plunged several times in the water before they succeeded in landing 

 safely in the boat, and many young children died from the effects "the same violent 

 means which only reduced the parents to a state of exhaustion or insensibility/' having 

 .entirely quenched the vital spark in their feeble frames. One fine fellow, a soldier, who 

 had neither wife nor child of his own, but who showed great solicitude for the safety of 

 others, insisted on having three children lashed to him, with whom he plunged into the 

 water to reach the boat more quickly. He swam well, but could not get near the boat; 

 and when he was eventually drawn on board again, two of the children were dead. One 

 man fell down the hatchway into the flames; another had his back broken, and was 

 observed, quite doubled, falling overboard ; a third fell between the boat and brig, and 

 Ms head was literally crushed to pieces; others were lost in their attempts to ascend the 



