224 SEA-SIDE STUDIES. 



turning the heel upwards. The only man on deck at the 

 time was drowned. In the forecastle were three men, 

 Vincent, Vantaure, and Jean-Marie : the two former, by 

 seizing hold of the windlass-bits, succeeded in getting up 

 close to the keelson, and so kept their heads above water. 

 The unfortunate Jean-Marie probably got his feet entangled 

 — at any rate, after convulsively grasping the heel of Van- 

 taure for a few seconds, he let go his hold, and was drowned. 

 " The other two, finding that the shock of the upset had 

 started the bulkhead between the forecastle and the hold, 

 and that the cargo itself had fallen down on the deck, con- 

 trived to draw themselves on their ftices close alongside the 

 keelson towards the stern of the ship, from whence they 

 thought they heard some voices. At the time of the acci- 

 dent, the captain, the mate Gallo, and the boy Nicholas, were 

 in the cabin. The captain caught the boy in his arms, under 

 the full impression that their last moment had arrived. 

 The mate succeeded in wrenching open the trap-hatch in 

 the cabin deck, and in clearing out some casks which were 

 jammed in the lazarette (a sort of small triangular space 

 between the cabin floor and the keelson, where stores are 

 generally stowed away) : having effected this, he scrambled 

 up into the vacant space, and took the boy from the hands 

 of the captain, whom he then assisted to follow them. In 

 about an hour they were joined by Vincent and Vantaure 

 from the forecastle. There were then five individuals closely 

 cooped together ; as they sat, they were obliged to bend 

 their bodies for want of height above them, whilst the water 

 reached as high as their waists ; from which iiksome posi- 



