286 THE SEA. 



She righted in a few minutes after, and when she did so I was still in her by what means I 

 know not, but that the All-seeing eye was still upon me. In a minute or two more she was 

 lowered into the sea with her freight of thirteen human souls, and amidst cries of ' She is 

 leaking ! ' ' She is stove in ! ' ' She will be swamped ! ' but at the same moment one of the 

 crew in her cut the rope that bound her to the blazing ship, and she at once dropped astern. 

 We now made the terrible discovery that she was really leaking, and with the apparent 

 certainty of having escaped one horrible death only to perish by another, we set our wits to 

 work to staunch the leak and bale out the water. Michael Fox, one of the sailors a man 

 who merits much honour for his coolness and bravery throughout actually thrust his arm 

 through the leak to arrest the ingress of the water ; while I handed him my cap, another gave 

 his stockings; others did likewise; and then, with such means as these, and with the aid of 

 our boots and two little empty casks, we managed to prevent the life-boat from being 

 swamped. While thus occupied, and being tossed about, without food, water, oars, helm, or 

 compass, totally at the mercy of the contending elements, we had dropped about two miles 

 astern of the doomed ship. She was apparently motionless, while the sea continually broke 

 over us. A barque passed between the blazing pile and our ill-omened craft. Her hull, sails, 

 and rigging were reflected against that fearful blaze with a blackness of shadow that appeared 

 to render still deeper the depth of our calamity, and which the morning's light helped not to 

 lessen, for the barque had disappeared. After the barque had departed, we fancied we saw a 

 boat, somewhat like our own, close to us, and we hailed her, with all the power of our united 

 voices, for oars ; but she either heeded or heard us not, and quickly disappeared, and the 

 impression was that she had been swamped. Our frail tenement was still knocked about as 

 I have stated, still within sight of the burning ship ; and at about five o'clock on Sunday 

 morning, when the powder on board caught light, she blew up, presenting to our terror- 

 stricken gaze a most awful and sublime spectacle. Vast beams of flaming timber were hurled 

 about in the air, and seemed suspended there for a moment, and then disappeared with a 

 hissing noise in the roaring waters. A moment after, and all that remained unconsumable 

 by fire of that once noble specimen of our mercantile marine vanished like a shot beneath 

 the waves. And then came upon us that intensity of darkness that lent an additional horror 

 to our truly forlorn condition. However, the merciful Ruler of our destinies had not desertec 

 us ; for as the Sabbath morning's light dawned the wind abated and the sea becar 

 comparatively calm, except that there was still a heavy swell ; but still, there we were 

 thirteen human beings, in a frail, leaky boat, without an atom of food of any sort, the vas 

 ocean around us, and in a state of perfect ignorance as to our geographical position, while 01 

 other physical wants, such as of clothes, boots, &c., made our case truly deplorable. 

 about twelve o'clock at noon, on Sunday, we had drifted, as nearly as possible, to the sj 

 where the Amazon had sunk ; and upon the then comparatively calm sea were strewn abov 

 but too many evidences of the last night's fearful devastation immense spars, charr 

 timbers, barrels, bales, and boxes innumerable. We drew up one of the latter, got it 01 

 board, forced it open, and found that it contained only a quantity of shoes. To those et 

 helped himself to a pair, and then threw the remainder overboard. 



cc As the Sabbath morning advanced towards noon-day the glorious sun burst forth, ai 

 appeared as a happy harbinger of the fortunate release in store for us. The weather was fine 



