422 LOSS OF THE PHOENIX. 
hurricane begins. As soon as the ship was a little to rights, 
and all quiet again, Sir Hyde came to me in the most friendly- 
manner, the tears almost starting from his eyes — " Archer, 
ws ought all to be much obliged to you for the safety of the 
ship, and perhaps of ourselves. I am particularly so; noth- 
ing but that instantaneous presence of mind and calmness 
saved her; another ship's length, and we should have been 
fast on shore ; had you been the least diffident, or made the 
least confusion, so as to make the ship haulk in her stays, she 
must have been inevitably lost." Sir, you are very good, but 
I have done nothing that I suppose any body else would not 
have done in the same situation. 1 did not turn atl the hands 
up, knowing the watch able to work the ship: beside, had it 
spread immediately about the ship that she was almost ashore, 
it might have created a confusion that was better avoided. 
" Well," says he, " 'tis well indeed." 
At daylight we found that the current had set us between 
the Colladora rocks and Cape Antonio, and that we could not 
have got out any other w^ay than w^e did ; there was a chance, 
but Providence is the best pilot. We had sunset that day 
twenty leagues to the S. E. of our reckoning by the current. 
After getting clear of this scrape, we thought ourselves for- 
tunate, and made sail for Jamaica ; but misfortune seemed to 
follow misfortune. The next night, my watch upon deck too, 
we were overtaken by a squall, like a hurricane while it last- 
ed ; for though I saw it coming, and prepared for it, yet, when 
it took the ship, it roared and laid her down so, that I thought 
she would never get up again. However, by keeping her 
away, and clueing up every thing, she righted. The remain- 
der of the night we had very heavy squalls, and in the morn- 
ing found the main-mast sprung half the way through : one 
hundred and twenty-three leagues to the leeward of Jamaica, 
the hurricane months coming on, the head of the main-mast 
almost off, and at a short allowance ; well, we must make the 
best of it. The main-mast was well finished, but we were 
obliged to be very tender of carrying the sail. 
Nothing remarkable happened for ten days afterward, 
when we chased a Yankee man of war for six hours, but 
could not get near enough to her before it was dark to keep 
sight of her ; so that we lost her because unable to carry any 
sail on the main-mast. In about twelve days more made the 
island of Jamaica, having weathered all the squalls, and put 
into Montego Bay for water ; so that we had a strong party 
for kicking up a dust on shore, having found three men of war 
