THE LAYING OF THE ATLANTIC CABLE. 249 



succeeded in grappling the Cable, and anxiously we 

 watched foot after foot brought up on board. When 

 1100 fathoms had been thus recovered, our hopes in- 

 creasing every minute, an iron shackle gave "way, and 

 the remaining 1400 fathoms of rope, with the grapnel 

 attached, fell to the bottom of the sea. 



A buoy being lowered, we steamed ahead in order 

 to make another attempt nearer the end of the Cable. 

 Having reached the desired spot, we dropped another 

 buoy, and then lay to, waiting for a change of wind 

 to enable the vessel to drift over the Cable. At noon 

 on the 4th we were enabled to take observations, 

 and found that, during the foggy night and morn- 

 ing, we had drifted between thirty and forty miles. 



The operations of the three following days are 

 easily described. The wind being against us, each 

 night we drifted, and each morning, though sorely 

 baffled by the fog, we steamed in search of the buoy, 

 to the finding of which the Terrible was of great ser- 

 vice. But when the fog lifted, and allowed us to as- 

 certain our true position, it was useless, with the wind 

 in a direction with the Cable, to attempt to grapple 

 it, for the vessel must slowly drift broadside over it, 

 and for this purpose both the screw and paddle engines 

 are of no use whatever. 



Under all these adverse circumstances a gloomy 

 despair fell on us, and each day seemed to lessen our 

 chances of success. But whatever may have been our 

 individual hopes and fears, we shunned expressing 



