C 292 ] 
flammable vapour might be attracted by the flame of 
the lamp and fired thereby. 
At the time- of the firft, I believe, there might 
be more than fixty men upon deck, and fome of them 
very near the maft at the very time of the clap. 
Some of thefe were fiunned and beat down ; and 
in their arms, where they thought themfelves hurt, 
they had a numbnefs, which continued fome time, 
but not any of them otherwife hurt. Luckily be- 
fore the fecond, the men, who were upon the quarter 
deck, in number about twenty, had time to retire under 
the auning, which is a projection of the deck of the 
cabin to fhelter from the fun or rain ; fo all efcaped 
unhurt, though fufiiciently frighted. And indeed 
the fecond ftafh was moft terrible, as it was an ex- 
plofion of a great number of balls, which went oft 
after each other, cracking like fhells, which conti- 
nued for the fpace of half a minute j and from 
which there was no retiring, as the door of the cabin 
was fbut ; and I believe they might have fet the fhip 
on fire, but for the great rain, which had fallen imme- 
diately before this. After this time we were in no 
more danger this night, the thunder being all paft 
the fhip, lefs frequent, and not fo loud, and removing 
by degrees to a greater diftance : and by day-light, 
which is here a little after five, the fky was quite 
cleared ; a fine day ; and the wind returned to the 
S. E. quarter. 
In thefe cafes of thunder there is not any precau- 
tion taken farther, than flopping the upper part of 
the pumps, becaufe they pierce all the decks even 
to the outfide plank in the bottom of the fhip. If 
