THE GULF. 



15 



a boat should come aboard of us, and that hardly an in- 

 dividual should leave the goelette, when at this time our 

 fate might have been foreseen by the most heedless on 

 board, seems to me to be perfectly incomprehensible. The 

 crowded state of the vessel was a source of discomfort 

 to all ; our water and our biscuit were both known to be 

 running short, and the signs of the impending tempest 

 could no longer be misunderstood. Yet no one stirred 

 — for why, no one could give a reason but the poor one, 

 that the few who went, must go without baggage ashore, 

 and the impulse seemed to be " to stick by the stuff." 

 The boat was after an instant's parley pushed off again 

 with its wild, half-savage, pirate-looking crew, who were 

 accompanied by the supercargo of the goelette, after 

 giving the promise, that early next morning all the pas- 

 sengers should be landed, and the discharge of the cargo 

 forthwith commenced. They hoisted the sail — were 

 soon carried to the bar, and disappeared among the huge 

 waves which broke upon it. 



The momentary bustle over, we had time to compre- 

 hend our position, and it grew more dreary every instant. 

 The wind now blew steadily from the southeast, and the 

 swell rose with it. The sky began to lose its uniform 

 shade, and to jag and rend into shapeless masses of heavy 

 clouds. The man-of-war bird was seen high up in the 

 atmosphere, breasting the breeze, and scudding out to 

 sea ; while the bands of white pelicans, which we had 

 watched soaring and diving in the roadstead during the 

 morning, quitted their toils and wheeled their heavy flight 

 over the breakers to the sheltered sands and lagoons of 

 the land. It seemed as if all were leaving us and our ill- 

 starred neighbours to their fate. It was evident that the 

 latter had taken the alarm, and were hastily preparing for 

 the coming struggle with the powers of the air and ocean. 

 One brig partly discharged, which lay about a mile nearer 

 the bar, trusting probably to the weight of water which 

 was now rolling in upon the land, resolved to attempt 

 the passage, and setting her sails, stood in boldly for the 

 shore. The day must have been near its close, for we had 



