THE IXLAND SEA OF JAPAN. 309 



hind had not only a great deal of way on it, but 

 had also its topsails set ; so there was no rest for 

 it, and down it came towards the steamer, almost 

 justifying the exclamation of a startled Irish sailor 

 "Jasus! we're into her." It seemed as if the 

 Fanny had no choice between running down the 

 tug or running herself upon the rocks ; but by the 

 narrowest shave she managed to get past without 

 doing either. One of the hawsers by which the 

 two vessels were attached was cut away in time, 

 but in the confusion of the moment the other was 

 allowed to remain until it turned the head of the 

 ship toward one of the sides of the passage, and 

 shaved off the cabin windows of the steamer before 

 it snapped, from the strain upon it, with a noise 

 like the report of a small cannon. Then there came 

 a trying manreuvre for the ship in which I was. 

 "With the wind still in her topsails, she flew across 

 the narrow channel like a thing of life determined to 

 dash itself in pieces against the opposite shore. But 

 luckily our captain was a thorough seaman, and his crew 

 were all active able-bodied English sailors. Never 

 have I seen even a man-of-war more smartly handled. 

 The men flew to the different ropes with wonderful 

 speed, and the vessel was put about just in time to 

 escape destruction ; for on looking over the stern, I 

 saw it was only two or three feet from the sharp- 

 pointed rocks which lined the shore. Even there 

 the danger did not end. The water of the channel 



