92 A HISTORY OF THE WHALE FISHERIES 



and to any unpartiall man's judgment, sufficient to 

 shift a bark of sixtie tunnes." 



At any rate, the position suddenly got worse, " the 

 hides which lay in the hold slid to leeward, and 

 brought her altogether downe, then every man made 

 shift to save his life, and I being farre from the 

 hatches, could not get up so soone as others did. 

 At which time I saw death before mine eyes two 

 wayes, one if I stayed in hold, I was sure to be 

 drowned ; the other if I went up the hatches, I was 

 in election to be slaine ; for downe at the hatches fell 

 hogsheads of beere and divers other things, the least 

 of them being sufficient to beate a mans bones." 

 However, Poole escaped, " and, blessed bee God, 

 no man perished at that so dangerous an accident." 

 With their boats they now made for the Hull ship, 

 their sole hope of rescue. There they found small 

 comfort, for Duke told them plainly they were not 

 to come aboard, " and caused pikes and launces to 

 be brought to keepe us out." However, Edge 

 persuaded the Hull man to be reasonable, so that 

 Poole got aboard, " having mine head broke to the 

 skull, and my brow that one might see the bare 

 bones, and by mine eare I had a sore wound, likewise 

 the ribs on my right side were all broken and sore 

 bruised, and the collar-bone of my left shoulder is 

 broken, besides, my backe was so sore, that I could 

 not suffer any man to touch it." An arrangement 

 was eventually come to with the Hull ship whereby 

 the goods which were saved were taken in at the 

 rate of five pounds the tunne. On the 2ist August 



