112 WE STRIKE ON A ROCK. DANGER. [1693. 



instead of seeking for one of the two Breaches before men- 

 tion'd, and to Hale^ the Ship by Land or by Sea, to a Place 

 where 'tis easy to pass, we depended too much on our good 

 Fortune, and thinking to go thro' directly, we happen'd to 

 strike. We went so swiftly along,^ that we cou'd hardly per- 

 ceive when we struck, and thought we only brusht by the 

 Eock. Wherefore we proceeded, and were got about fifty 

 Paces beyond the Shelves, flattering ourselves we were past 

 the greatest Danger, when on a sudden we were sadly con- 

 vinced of our Mistake^ ; for the Water came pouring in, and 

 we saw 'twas time for us to return as fast as we cou'd to 

 Land. In the meantime the poor Boat fill'd apace, the 

 Eudder cou'd not guide us. The Wind in spite of us, drove 

 us farther off Shoar. Fear depriv'd us of the little Skill we 

 had, and as for myself in particular, I believ'd our time was 

 come ; one may easily imagine the Condition we were in, our 

 Peril was so terrible and apparent. The Desire of Living 

 made us set to work to save ourselves ; but the truth is, 

 'twas to no purpose"*; one endeavour'd to lave^ the Water out 

 of the Bark^ with his Hat, another employ'd himself with 

 Labour every whit as unprofitable, and all cry'd out or Pray'd 

 like lost Men. However at last one of us handled an Oar so 



1 i.e., to haul or drag along. Cf. Dampier's Voyages (1681). 



2 In orig. : "comme nous voguions avec beaucoup de legerete." The 

 idea of lightness or buoyancy is hardly expressed by the word " swiftly" 

 in our text. 



3 In orig. : " car I'eau paroissant' tout incontinent, & croissant a vue 

 d'oeil on s'ecria qu'il falloit promptement retourner en arriere, & rega- 

 gner terre." 



* In orig.: " ma'"s la verity est que nous perdimes tous la tramon- 

 tane." Vide ante, p. 88, and note, ih. 



6 " Some stow their oars, or stop the leaky sides, 

 Another bolder yet the yard bestrides, 

 And folds the sails ; a fourth, with labour, laves 

 Th' intruding seas, and waves ejects on waves." 



Dryden, Ovid. Metam., " Ceyx and Alcyone". 



6 In orig. : " qui etoit presque pleine," omitted by translator. 



