sion
ensued, when Block grew angry, and, after a while, said that "it was no
business of his to be eternally watching for egg-shells; that the ship
should not put about for any such nonsense; and if there was a man run
down, it was nobody's fault but his own, he might drown and be dammed"
or some language to that effect. Henderson, the first mate, now took the
matter up, being justly indignant, as well as the whole ship's crew,
at a speech evincing so base a degree of heartless atrocity. He
spoke plainly, seeing himself upheld by the men, told the captain he
considered him a fit subject for the gallows, and that he would disobey
his orders if he were hanged for it the moment he set his foot on shore.
He strode aft, jostling Block (who turned pale and made no answer)
on one side, and seizing the helm, gave the word, in a firm voice,
Hard-a-lee! The men flew to their posts, and the ship went cleverly
about. All this had occupied nearly five minutes, and it was supposed to
be hardly within the bounds of possibility that any individual could be
saved--allowing any to have been on board the boat. Yet, as the reader
has seen, both Augustus and myself were rescued; and our deliverance
seemed to have been brought about by two of those almost inconceivable
pieces of good fortune which are attributed by the wise and pious to the
special interference of Providence.

While the ship was yet in stays, the mate lowered the jolly-boat and
jumped into her with the very two men, I believe, who spoke up as having
seen me at the helm. They had just left the lee of the vessel (the moon
still shining brightly) when she made a long and heavy roll to windward,
and Henderson, at the same moment, starting up in his seat bawled out
to his crew to back water. He would say nothing else--repeating his cry
impatiently, back water! black water! The men put back as speedily as
possible, but by this time the ship had gone round, and gotten fully
under headway, although all hands on board were making great exertions
to take in sail. In despite of the danger of the attempt, the mate clung
to the main-chains as soon as they came within his reach. Another huge
lurch now brought the starboard side of the vessel out of water nearly
as far as her keel, when the cause of his anxiety was rendered obvious
enough. The body of a man was seen to be affixed in the most singular
manner to the smooth and shining bottom (the Penguin was coppered and
copper-fastened), an