348 NORTH SEA FISHERS AND FIGHTERS 



were drowned at once, five reached land, and one of 

 them died almost as soon as he believed that he was 

 saved. 



When the toll of those brave men was known, it 

 was found that of the whole ship's company only seven 

 were saved, and these were rescued by courageous Danes 

 who ventured into the welter of waters and took them 

 from a raft on to which they had cast themselves. 



The bodies of the admiral and Captain Guion were 

 cast ashore and buried with military honours in Rinkum 

 Church, near that of Captain Atkins, of the Defence. 



Admiral Reynolds had known tragic experience of 

 the terrors of a great wreck, for, in 1797, when command- 

 ing the frigate Amazon, which, with the Indefatigable, 

 fought and conquered the French Droits de L'Homme, 

 74, he was near that ship when she was driven ashore 

 off Ushant, with about 1800 souls on board a crew of 

 700, 1050 troops, and 50 English prisoners. Most of 

 them perished, and the Amazon herself was driven 

 ashore, the ship's company, with the exception of half a 

 dozen men who were drowned, being made prisoners. 



The loss of \h^ Defence was a repetition of the wreck 

 of the Si. George. She also had struck, and the seas 

 swept over and killed, maimed, or carried off her people. 

 A spare anchor was torn away from its berth, thrown on 

 end, and sent crashing upon a crowd of men on the fore- 

 castle, killing 30 in its fall. Out of the crew of 600 

 only 6 men were saved, through the courage of the 

 Danes and their subsequent kindness. 



The dead, who were washed ashore from the wrecks, 

 were buried with military honours, and the survivors were 

 sent to England, by the generosity of the Danish 



