THE END AT LAST 381 



her anchor in two and a quarter fathoms, in such a 

 position that the current prevented her getting off. 

 Steam was got up, an anchor was taken out, and the 

 vessel was soon hauled off the fluke of the anchor under 

 her, but only to fall back into a shoal. When we had 

 twenty pounds of steam with which to work, the pro- 

 peller was put in action, the steam winch hauled on the 

 cable, and a fair breeze from the south-west soon got us 

 off the shoal. In two minutes she would have been in 

 perfect safety, when, without a moment's warning, the 

 wind suddenly changed to north-east, and drove her hard 

 and fast into the shallow water before the sails could be 

 furled. All our efforts to get her off were vain. The 

 ballast we had put in after the accident on Sunday was 

 thrown out, the wood was got back again into the 

 Ibis, anchors were tried on several sides, but all came 

 home, one was taken upon shore and the cable strained 

 until it broke. The men worked hard all night, but by 

 morning she was more than a foot aground, fore and aft, 

 and as the water was falling rapidly, it was evident the 

 case was utterly hopeless. Everything that could be 

 done had been done, and the captain gave the vessel 

 up. 



Thus ended the career of the Thames, a melancholy 

 close to a long chapter of accidents and hairbreadth 

 escapes. The ship seemed fated. Why she refused to 

 wear round in the first instance will probably always 

 remain a mystery. Perhaps some treacherous under- 

 current seized her keel, or possibly she fouled some 

 hidden snag. Fouling her anchor in coming back was 

 one of those accidents that will happen to the best- 

 regulated vessels ; but that, after having escaped both 

 these dangers, a sudden and total change of wind should 

 occur at the precise moment when she was sailing into 



