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well enough what we are about ; we are as clear of 

 the rock as if we were in the Red Sea, by Jasus;" 

 — upon which the vessel struck upon the rock, and 

 there she stuck. The captain fell to swearing and 

 tearing his hair. " God damn you, sir ! didn't I tell 

 you to keep to eastward ? Dam'me, she 's on the 

 rock I" " Oh ! well, my dear, she 's now on the 

 rock, and, in a few minutes, you know, why she '11 

 be off the rock : to be sure, I'd have taken my 

 oath that the rock was two hundred and fifty feet 

 on the other side of her, but " — " Two hun- 

 dred and {ifty feet ! why, the channel is not two 

 hundred and fifty feet wide itself! and as to getting 

 her off, bumping against this rock, it can only be 

 with a great hole in her side." — " Poh! now, bother, 



my dear! why sure " — " Leave the ship, sir; 



dam'me, sir, get out of my ship this moment!" 

 Instead of which, with the most smiling and oblig- 

 ing air in the world, the Irishman turned to console 

 the female passengers. " Make yourselves asy, 

 ladies, pray make yourselves perfectly asy ; but, 

 upon my soul, I believe your captain 's mad ; 

 no danger in life ! only make yourselves asy, I 

 say ; for the ship lies on the rock as safe and as 

 quiet, by Jasus, as if she were lying on a mud 

 bank!" Luckily the weather was so perfectly 

 calm, that the ship having once touched the rock 

 with her keel bumped no more. It was low water; 

 she wanted but five inches to float her, and when 



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