THE LAST CRUISE OF THE MIRANDA. 73 



we commenced to bump and jar in a most alarming manner. 

 I jumped to my feet, but was immediately thrown down, and 

 there was a great crash of breaking glass and china, and a 

 terrible ripping sound, as if the vessel were being torn asunder. 

 Men, furniture, and everything loose about the ship were 

 thrown about in the wildest confusion. For a moment we 

 seemed to be impaled upon the rocks, upon which we had 

 rushed with such terrific force, with our engines at full speed. 

 I dressed hastily and went on deck, where there was a scene 

 of great confusion. We had struck upon a hidden reef, but 

 with the high waves and the fast rate of speed at which 

 we were going we had managed to run over it and get clear. 

 Nobody could tell the extent of damage done, and so the 

 worst was prepared for. We felt that we were liable to sink 

 at any moment, and all knew that the rocks had gored our 

 vessel in a terrible manner. Many were pushing about with 

 life-preservers in their hands ; some were working at the boats 

 to get them lowered, and others were bringing their most 

 valuable possessions up from their cabins to the deck. I saw 

 some strange sights : one man in his night-shirt, with a gun 

 in one hand and a life-preserver in the other, for some of the 

 passengers snatched at all sorts of odd things in the excite- 

 ment of the moment ; another man had the ship's cat pressed 

 against his bosom. The captain was cool and collected, and 

 giving his orders with sharp decision. Our whistles were 

 kept blowing continually, and our solitary cannon was fired 

 off at rapid intervals as we turned back and made for Sukker- 

 toppen with all possible speed. It took some time to find out 

 whether we were leaking badly or not ; then it was discovered 

 that the after water-ballast tank was full of water, but 

 as our pumps appeared able to keep the leakage from 

 gaining on us rapidly, there was apparently no immediate 

 danger. Strange to say, we had struck upon the rocks at 

 just about the same time in the morning that we had 





