282 THE SEA. 



the rate of thirteen knots an hour. Buckets of water were still thrown on the burning 

 mass ; trusses of lighted hay and loose spars thrown overboard. " Keep fast the boats 

 for a while, and try to save the ship ! " cried the captain. But, alas ! ship and crew were 

 alike doomed. " Don't lower the bouts!'''' repeated Captain Symons again and again; and 

 the danger at the rate of the Amazon's speed of attempting- it was too obvious. Lieut. 

 Grylls, R.N., a passenger on board, was attempting- to lower the tackle of one of the 

 boats, when Symons " seized him by the arm, and besought him to desist, as he said every- 

 body would be drowned. Lieut. Grylls then called out to the person by the foremast fall, 

 imploring him not to lower, as the ship was going so fast. The person at the foremast 

 fall, by constant and urgent request of the people in the boat, let the fall go, by which 

 means the boat turned over, and, as nearly as could be seen, every one was washed out 

 of her. Seeing- this at the moment, Lieut. Grylls attempted to let go the after fall so as 

 to save them, but the fall being jammed, and having fouled, and the boat thus not being 

 clear, her stern hung in the air for a moment, until cut adrift by some one, when she 

 turned over, and, seeing- the people washed away, Lieutenant Grylls turned away from the 

 appalling sight in horror. He then met, face to face, Captain Symons, who called out for 

 some one to help him to clear away the port life-boat, which was stowed on the sponson, 

 abaft the port paddle-box, and at the same moment leaped into the boat, using every 

 endeavour to clear her away. Lieut. Grylls followed, and also exerted himself, but the 

 flames having- reached the boat, and Captain Symons's hair having caught in a blaze, 

 and one sleeve of his shirt, he was obliged to run off, and Lieut. Grylls was compelled to 

 follow him, both rushing- through the flames and fire/'' 



About this time it was discovered that the ship was veering- round, owing to the helm 

 having been lashed. A fresh order was shrieked out to keep her before the wind, and two 

 of the officers sprang forward to execute the captain's bidding. The passengers were now 

 all on deck, with what feelings we can imagine. ' l At last the shout was raised, ' Every man 

 for himself ! ' but not by the captain. The captain called out, ( Lower the starboard life-boat ! ' 

 to which the answer was, ' She is on fire ! ' ' Lower the larboard (port, or left-hand) life- 

 boat ! ' ' She is on fire ! ' was still the cry. The captain dropped the bucket which he idly 

 held in his hand. ' It's all over with us ! ' J But though he knew it so well, he did not 

 relax an effort ; nor did Mr. Roberts, the chief officer, nor any of the officers, all of whom 

 went down with the ship. They were last seen collected in a group near the helm ; and to 

 the close of that appalling scene nobly did their duty. The last words the captain was 

 heard to say were, " It has got too far." He then turned aft, took the wheel, and that 

 appears to have been the last that was seen of Captain Symons. 



When it was discovered that the two life-boats were on fire, attention could only be given 



Jt 



to the other boats. All efforts must be made : better to drown than to die in the midst of 

 flames suffocated, scorched. " One of the passengers, Mr. Alleyne, of the West Indies, was 

 observed pacing the deck, with his hands clasped in prayer, patiently waiting that awful fate 

 from which he knew there was no escape. A gentleman and lady, in their night-dresses only 

 both of which were on fire came on deck, and, with their arms round each other, walked 

 over to one of the ship's hatches, and fell together into the flames. They had previously 

 been seen standing right abaft and looking perfectly collected, the gentleman before the 



