His CAPTORS. 173 



Melancholy Fancies. Yearnings for Home. 



a large vessel, containing oil and unraveled rope, 

 burning over the stern rail of the ship as a bea- 

 con for them, which threw out great light. 



But, although all eyes were employed in 

 every direction, searching for the boats, no ves- 

 tige of them could be seen ; and, therefore, when 

 half past nine P.M. came, we made up our 

 minds they were all lost; and, as the wind 

 howled hoarsely through the rigging, and the 

 waves beat savagely against our ship, some of 

 us thought we could hear the shrieks of poor 

 Berry above the roaring storm ; others imag- 

 ined, in their melancholy, that they could oc- 

 casionally hear the captain's voice ordering to 

 " bear up ;" while the boats had been seen more 

 than fifteen times by anxious spirits, who had 

 strained their eyes through the gloom until 

 fancy robbed them of their true speculation, 

 and left her phantasmagoria in exchange. 



There were not many on board who did not 

 think of home on that dreadful night ; there 

 were not many among us who did not curse 

 the sea and all the sea-going avocations, while 

 with the same breath they blessed the cheerful 

 fireside of their parents, which, at that moment, 

 they would have given all they possessed to but 



