held a consultation with the officers, when it was
deemed expedient to cut the mast away without delay: this was
accordingly put into execution the following morning, as soon as the
day made its appearance. The necessary preparations having been made,
the carpenter began hewing at the mast, and quickly made a deep wound.
Some of the crew were stationed ready to cut away the stays and
lanyards, whilst the remaining part was anxiously watching the
momentary crash which was to ensue; the word being given to cut away
the weather-lanyards, as the ship gave a lee-lurch, the whole of the
wreck of the mast plunged, without further injury, into the ocean.

The weather still threatening a continuance, our principal employ was
at the pumps, which were kept continually going. The sea had now rose
to an alarming height, and frequently struck the vessel with great
violence. Towards the afternoon part of the starboard bulwark was
carried away by the shock of a heavy sea, which made the ship
broach-to, and before she could answer her helm again, a sea broke
through the fore-chains, and swept away the caboose and all its
utensils from the deck; fortunately for the cook he was assisting at
the pumps at the time, or he inevitably must have shared the same fate
as his galley.

Notwithstanding the exertions of the crew, the water gained fast, and
made its way into the hold, which washed a great quantity of the
ballast through the timber-holes into the hull, by which the suckers
of the pumps were much damaged, and thereby frequently choaked. By
such delays the leaks increased rapidly. We were under the necessity
of repeatedly hoisting the pumps on deck, to apply different means
which were devised to keep the sand from entering, but all our efforts
proved ineffectual, and the pumps were deemed of no further utility.
There was now no time to be lost; accordingly it was agreed that the
allowance of fresh water should be lessened to a pint a man; the casks
were immediately hoisted from the hold, and lashed between decks. As
the water was started from two of them, they were sawed in two, and
formed into buckets, there being no other casks on board fit for that
purpose; the whips were soon applied, and the hands began bailing at
the fore and after hatchways which continued without intermission the
whole of the night, each man being suffered to take one hour's rest,
in rotation.

The morning of the 22d presented to our view a most dreary aspect