304 TRAVELS THROUGH UPV.ER CANADA! 
family from the upper country* we discovered 
in the very act of loading himself with dollars 
from head to foot, so that had he fallen into 
the water in the state we found him., lie must 
inevitably have been carried to the bottom. 
Words can convey no idea of the wildness 
that reigned in the countenance of almost every 
person as the night approached; and many* 
terrified with the apprehensions of a nightly 
shipwreck, began to lament that the cable had 
not been at once cut, so as to have let the 
vessel go on shore whilst day-light remained : 
this indeed had been proposed a few hours 
after the vessel began to strike; but it was 
over-ruled by the captain* who very properly 
refused to adopt a measure tending to the im¬ 
mediate and certain destruction of his vessel* 
whilst a possibility remained that she might 
escape. 
Till nine o’clock at night the vessel kept 
striking every minute, during which time we 
were kept in a state of the most dreadful sus- 
pence about our fate; but then happily the 
wind shifted one or two points in our favour* 
which occasioned the vessel to roll instead of 
striking. At midnight the gale grew some¬ 
what more moderate; and at three in the 
morning it was so far abated* that the men 
were enabled to haul on the anchor* and in a 
short time to bring the vessel once more into 
