CHAP, vii.] A FEARFUL SCENE. 329 



stances as the others. Hundreds soon gathered at the point 

 she was expected to reach. The boats had come so near the 

 shore that the men on board were perfectly well recognised 

 by their friends, among whom there were wives in the greatest 

 anxiety to rescue their husbands from the angry deep, fathers 

 to rescue their sons, brother to welcome brother, etc. But how 

 sad was the scene beggars all description, for within a hun- 

 dred yards of the shore a tremendous sea struck the boat on 

 her broadside, and turned her right over, as quick as a man 

 would turn his hand, the crew of course being all cast into the 

 water. The crowd on shore held up their hands appalled, and 

 cried and shrieked, many of them in perfect distraction. The 

 scene was heartrending in the extreme ; but the first manifes- 

 tations of grief and alarm by and by toned down to mournful 

 wailings, although, as was to be expected, the excitement and 

 confusion were very great. Three of the men were never seen, 

 having at once sunk to rise no more. Two seemed to get on 

 the bottom of the boat, but one of them very shortly disap- 

 peared. The other one, however, stood up on his feet, and 

 put his hands to his waistcoat near the buttons, from which 

 act it was supposed he was preparing to strip and be in readi- 

 ness to swim. The situation was heightened by the interest of 

 those on shore in seeing him in this perilous position, and the 

 grief of his friends was intensely unspeakable when they saw 

 the first heavy sea wash him away from the footing he had 

 gained, and, in its rolling fury, hide him perhaps for ever from 

 human eyes. The remaining three of the eight who were on 

 board (the crew numbered eleven, but three had not gone to 

 sea that day) also disappeared for a little, but in a short time 

 they were seen floating about on spars and pieces of the masts ; 

 and hope still existed that rescue might be extended to them. 

 They were driven from one point to another with fearful 

 velocity, and indeed were only now and again visible. Anxiety 

 was felt in every breast still more acutely than ever, as these 



