A SUMMER RAMBLE AMONG THE HEBRIDES. 225 



which forms in such circumstances the voyager's concert. I 

 soon became aware, however, of yet another species of sound, 

 which I did not like half so well, a sound as of the washing 

 of a shallow current over a rough surface ; and, on the minis- 

 ter coming below, I asked him, tolerably well prepared for 

 his answer, what it might mean. " It means," he said, " that 

 we have sprung a leak, and a rather bad one ; but we are 

 only some six or eight miles from the Point of Sleat, and 

 must soon catch the land." He returned on deck, and I re- 

 sumed my book Presently, however, the rush became greatly 

 louder ; some other weak patch in the Betsey's upper works 

 had given way, and anon the water came washing up from 

 the lee side along the edge of the cabin floor. I got upon 

 deck to see how matters stood with us ; and the minister, 

 easing off the vessel for a few points, gave instant orders to 

 shorten sail, in the hope of getting her upper works out of 

 the water, and then to unship the companion ladder, beneath 

 which a hatch communicated with the low strip of hold under 

 the cabin, and to bring aft the pails. We lowered our fore- 

 sail ; furled up the mainsail half-mast high ; John Stewart 

 took his station at the pump ; old Alister and I, furnished 

 with pails, took ours, the one at the foot, the other at the 

 head, of the companion, to hand up and throw over; a young 

 girl, a passenger from Eigg to the mainland, lent her assist- 

 ance, and got wofully drenched in the work ; while the minis- 

 ter, retaining his station at the helm, steered right on. But 

 the gale had so increased, that, notwithstanding our dimi- 

 nished breadth of sail, the Betsey, straining hard in the rough 

 sea, still lay in to the gunwale ; and the water, pouring in 

 through a hundred opening chinks in her upper works, rose, 

 despite of our exertions, high over plank, and beam, and cabin- 

 floor, and went dashing against beds and lockers. She was 

 evidently filling, and bade fair to terminate all her voyagings 

 by a short trip to the bottom. Old Alister, a seaman of 



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