is is no time, Sir, to think of
saving the masts, shall we cut the mainmast away?" "Ay! as fast as you
can." I accordingly went into the weather chains with a pole-axe, to
cut away the lanyards; the boatswain went to leeward, and the
carpenters stood by the mast. We were all ready, when a very violent
sea broke right on board of us, carried every thing upon deck away,
filled the ship with water, the main and mizen masts went, the ship
righted, but was in the last struggle of sinking under us.

As soon as we could shake our heads above water, Sir Hyde exclaimed:
"We are gone, at last, Archer! foundered at sea!" "Yes, Sir,
farewell, and the Lord have mercy upon us!" I then turned about to
look forward at the ship; and thought she was struggling to get rid of
some of the water; but all in vain, she was almost full below
"Almighty God! I thank thee, that now I am leaving this world, which I
have always considered as only a passage to a better, I die with a
full hope of the mercies, through the merits of Jesus Christ, thy son,
our Saviour!"

I then felt sorry that I could swim, as by that means I might be a
quarter of an hour longer dying than a man who could not, and it is
impossible to divest ourselves of a wish to preserve life. At the end
of these reflections I thought I heard the ship thump and grinding
under our feet; it was so. "Sir, the ship is ashore!" "What do you
say?" "The ship is ashore, and we may save ourselves yet!" By this
time the quarter-deck was full of men who had come up from below; and
'the Lord have mercy upon us,' flying about from all quarters. The
ship now made every body sensible that she was ashore, for every
stroke threatened a total dissolution of her whole frame; found she
was stern ashore, and the bow broke the sea a good deal, though it was
washing clean over at every stroke. Sir Hyde cried out: "Keep to the
quarter-deck, my lads, when she goes to pieces, 't is your best
chance!" Providentially got the foremast cut away, that she might not
pay round broad-side. Lost five men cutting away the foremast, by the
breaking of a sea on board just as the mast went. That was nothing;
every one expected it would be his own fate next; looked for daybreak
with the greatest impatience. At last it came; but what a scene did it
show us! The ship upon a bed of rocks, mountains of them on one side,
and Cordilleras of water on the other; our poor ship grinding and
crying out at every stroke between them; go