Look out, lads, and hold on!"

Onward, as we gazed astern, came a large green sea, with a white angry
crest, swelling larger and larger as it got nearer, until it almost hung
above the poop before breaking.

"Hold on, lads, hold on!" cried the captain, repeating his previous
warning, when, with a dull thud the mass of water broke, covering us all
with a sheet of foam that drenched us through and through, almost swept
us away from our lashings--the spars that supported us being lifted up
from the deck and then dropped again as suddenly.

At the same time, there was a heavy crash heard forward, and the ship
lurched as if she were going to founder. She quivered all over, and her
timbers creaked and groaned.

Next, she rolled heavily more over to starboard, as the wave which had
broken over us sped onwards, washing the waist and forecastle; and then,
with another great crash the mizzen and mainmasts rolled into the sea,
and the port side of the ship that was under water rose up clear.

The foremast, which had broken away when we heard that great crash
forwards had been snapped off just below the slings of the fore-yard,
and had followed its companions overboard, although still towed
alongside by the stays and starboard rigging that also held the other
spars; and, the next instant, with an upward bound the _Josephine_
righted. At the same moment, the water that had filled the cabin and
waist and forecastle poured out on either side through the scuppers and
broken bulwarks; while the sunken part of the poop and lower deck rose
high and dry again as we looked on, hardly believing that what we had so
anxiously awaited and striven for had come to pass at last.

"Thank God!" exclaimed Captain Miles in a voice faltering with emotion;
while several of the men, quite unnerved, burst into tears.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

"A BAKER'S DOZEN."

"Do you know what day it is?" observed Captain Miles presently, as we
were all busily engaged freeing ourselves from the lashings that held us
to the spars, preparing to stand on the deck once more in an upright
position and stretch our sadly cramped legs, our movements for so many
hours having been much restricted.

"No," replied Mr Marline, taking the question to himself as he stamped
his feet vigorously to restore the circulation of the stagnant blood.
"I have lost all count nearly of time during this awful week!--Saturday,
is it not--or Monday?"

"You are a little behind in one