all gave in
and lay down in despair to die. But our captain, who is very good to
his crew, and a religious man too, said, "There is One above who looks
after us all." That was true enough, for, about ten minutes
afterwards, as I was talking to the cook, and telling him it was all
over with us, I saw a sail to leeward, and informed the captain. We
bore down a little, but did not like to go out of our course too much,
fearing you might be a "Portuguese," and play us the same trick as the
American.' (They could not understand our white ensign; for, our
funnel being stowed, we looked like a sailing vessel, while all
gunboats of our size are steamers.) 'When we saw it was an English
vessel, and that you answered our signals and sent a boat off, we were
indeed thankful; though that was nothing to what we feel now at once
more having a really dry ship under our feet. Not that we have really
suffered anything very terrible, for we had a bit of shelter, and
plenty to eat, and the worst part was seeing our things washed
overboard, and thinking perhaps we might go next. We have not had a
dry deck since we left Swansea, and the pumps have been kept going
most of the time. Why, with this sea, ma'am, our decks would be under
water.' (This surprised me; as, though low in the water, the
'Monkshaven' did not appear to be overladen, and the Plimsoll mark was
plainly visible.) 'Our boats were all ready for launching, but we had
no sails, and only one rudder for the three; so we should have had
hard work to fetch anywhere if we had taken to them. We lashed the two
boys--apprentices, fourteen and sixteen years old--in one of the
boats, for fear they should be washed overboard. The youngest of them
is the only son of his mother, a widow; and you could see how she
loved him by the way she had made his clothes, and fitted him out all
through. He was altogether too well found for a ship like ours, but
now most of his things are lost. His chest could not be got up from
below, and though I borrowed an old bread-bag from the steward, it was
not half big enough, and his sea-boots and things his mother had given
him to keep him dry and cover his bed--not oilskins, like
ours.'--'Mackintoshes,' I suggested.--'Yes, that's the name--they were
all lost. It did seem a pity. The boy never thought there was much
danger till this morning, when I told him all hope was gone, as the
American ship had sailed away from us. He said, "Will the ship go to
the botto