378 THE CRUISE OF THE "CACHALOT:' 



hold on, and, as you have every reason to believe, be 

 run down, the other man alters his. Then a few breath- 

 less moments ensue, an awful crash, and the two vessels 

 tear each other to pieces, spilling the life that they 

 contain over the hungry sea. Even if you escape, you 

 are to blame for not keeping your course, unless it can be 

 proved that you were not seen by the running ship. 



Well, we kept our course until, I verily believe, 

 another plunge would have cut us sheer in two halves. 

 At the last moment our helm was put hard down, 

 bringing our vessel right up into the wind at the same 

 moment as the helmsman on board the other vessel 

 caught sight of us, and instinctively put his helm down 

 too. The two vessels swung side by side amidst a 

 thunderous roar of flapping canvas, crackling of fallen 

 spars, and rending of wood as the shrouds tore away 

 the bulwarks. All our davits were ripped from the 

 starboard side, and most of our bulwarks too ; but, 

 strangely enough, we lost no spars nor any important 

 gear. There seemed to be a good deal of damage done 

 on board the stranger, where, in addition, all hands 

 were at their wits' end. Well they might be, aroused 

 from so criminal a sleep as theirs. Fortunately, the 

 third mate had a powerful bull's-eye lantern, which in 

 his watch on deck he always kept lighted. Turning it 

 on the stern of the delinquent vessel as she slowly 

 forged clear of us, we easily read her name, which, for 

 shame's sake as well as for prudential reasons, I 

 withhold. She was a London ship, and a pretty fine 

 time of it I had for the next day or two, listening to the 

 jeers and sarcasms on the quality of British seamanship. 



Eepairing damages kept us busy for a few days ; but 

 whatever of thankfulness we were capable of feeling was 

 aroused by this hairbreadth escape from death through 



