e ship was sinking, but
it was very important to have light, that we might see how best to
launch the boats. Day seemed very, very long in coming. The captain
tried to cheer the people, but he must have known as well as any on
board that perhaps none of us might live to see the sun rise over the
waters.

"All that night we laboured without a moment's rest. Dawn came, and I
went to the mast-head to learn if a sail was in sight. I scarcely
expected to see one, yet I hoped against hope. Not a speck could I
discover on the clearly-defined circle of the horizon. The old ship was
now fast settling down, and the sea was making a complete breach over
her. To enable the water to run off the decks and to allow us to launch
the boats, we cut away the stanchions and bulwarks between the fore and
main rigging. Such food and water as could be got at was then handed up
on deck, ready to be placed in the boats. The crew did not wait the
captain's orders to lower them. He seemed unwilling to abandon the ship
till the last moment. There was a dinghy stowed in the longboat. While
the men were getting it out a sea broke on board, and, dashing it
against the spars, drove in the starboard bilge, and at the same time
washed two of the poor fellows overboard. We then got the stores into
the longboat. A warp was next passed over the port bow of the ship
outside the fore-rigging, and then inboard again through the gangway,
and secured to the bow of the boat, sufficient slack being left to allow
her to go astern. However, just as we were launching the boat a sea
struck her, and stove in two planks of the port bilge. I now thought
that it was all up with us, for though there was the jollyboat, she
could not carry half the number on board; still it was possible that we
might get the planks back to their places and stop the leak; so, in
spite of the accident to her, we managed by great exertions to launch
her, and I, with some of the crew and passengers, jumped into her with
buckets and began to bail her out. Happily, the carpenter was one of
the party. Some blankets had been thrown into the boat, which he
immediately thrust over the leak and stood on them, while he got ready a
plank and some nails which he had brought with him. While he and I were
working away the boat was shipping many seas, in consequence of the
weight of the warp ahead; I sang out that we must have it shifted, and
after a light rope had been hove to us and mad