APPENDIX. 67 



crew, the boat was on her beam-ends. Luckily, on the first touch of 

 the squall, I had put the helm a-lee ; she ran up into the wind sud- 

 denly ; and this, perhaps, was the cause of her righting. But I had 

 run her too sharply up ; the squall caught the foresail aback, smashed 

 the mast, and, in an instant, our vessel presented a wreck. 



" The coolness and determination of my men was imperturbable, 

 though, I confess, my own courage had long since flagged. 



" We had no difficulty, except from the tremendous rolling, in 

 shipping the mainmast forwards, and again bringing our barque to 

 the wind ; but, no sooner had we done so, than a new danger sprang 

 up : our compass, in the fall of the foremast, had been demolished, 

 and I immediately fixed my eye upon an opening stream of light, 

 which had emanated from the direction in which the island stood. 



" The gale now increased to a hurricane. Our spare sail was 

 drawn round to the leeward side, to form a bulwark, as nothing but 

 keeping her well to windward could effect our safety. Every minute 

 we were covered with a breaking sea, and one with a crest, that de- 

 noted the extent to which the gale had arrived, broke in upon the 

 forecastle, and literally smothered one of the boatmen. 



" The entrance now became the last danger. The sea, rolling 

 in from the Southern Atlantic, had assumed by this time a terrific 

 height, and as each wave was rejected by the bold shores of either 

 side, the mid-channel, through which our course lay, formed a mass 

 of raging confusion, through which we ultimately dashed, with one or 

 two seas completely over us. 



" ' Hurrah ! ' exclaimed Paddy Shea : ' We'll want no more 

 washing for a week.' ' Hurrah ! ' exclaimed the rest of the boat- 

 men : ' It's the boat that '11 do it, any how.' 



" All confidence and honour seemed now, by general consent, to 

 be placed in the boat. Our short passage round the island to the 

 quay was readily accomplished, amid the utmost hilarity, which the 

 cold, wet, hunger, and even the deprivation of the consolatory pipe, 

 could not repress. 



" Those who would enjoy the pleasure of such an arrival, must 



