MALTA AND SICILY. 
35 
with the motion of the vessel it would fall 
overboard, and if this had happened we 
should have been in a sadly crippled condi¬ 
tion indeed. When this danger was happily 
averted, we proceeded to ascertain what 
further damage we had received, and by the 
help of lanterns we could see that in the place 
where the brig struck us she had left a large 
piece of her “ cutwater,” as it is called, firmly 
wedged into the hole she had made in our 
side. Several of the planks of our deck 
were also split and forced upwards. After 
enduring such a violent concussion, is it not 
wonderful that our vessel continued nearly, 
if not quite as tight as before the accident ? 
Everybody seemed to take it for granted that 
she would resent such rough treatment by be¬ 
coming incorrigibly leaky, but happily every¬ 
body was very much mistaken. And yet the 
Flamer is not considered by any means a 
