ery now and
then, high out of the water, as if that useless exertion of strength
could bring him nearer to us. Perhaps he was looking for a plank, or
something to make for, to support himself. Unhappily, none was hove to
him in time. All hands were too much occupied in the means for
preserving their own lives. Weak and ill as he was, Mr Vernon had
rushed on deck as he felt the vessel going over. He had ordered the
helm to be put up; and Watson had seized an axe, waiting his directions
to cut away the mainmast, when the throat-halyard block parted, the
peak-halyards had already been let go, and the mainsail coming in of
itself, the vessel righted in an instant; then, feeling her helm, and
the headsail being yet set, she flew off before the squall. While we
were rejoicing at our own preservation, we almost forgot our poor
shipmate. Never can I forget the cry of despair he gave as he saw us
flying from him. He knew full well that it was impossible for us to
return; not a spar or plank was near to support him, to prolong his life
even for a few short hours. The brig, also, was too far away to leeward
to render him any help; so that aid from man he had none. Lifting up
his arms, with eyeballs starting from his head, he gave one last look at
us; and then, uttering a cry of agony, sunk for ever. It had been
dreadful to see strong men struck down by the plague, and die by rapid
degrees; but I know not whether a scene like this was not still more
harrowing. In the course of an hour we had run out of the squall, and
the weather had become cool and refreshing. The squall had one very
beneficial result, for no other persons were attacked with the plague,
and the man who was suffering from it began rapidly to recover. Vernon
also sensibly felt the change in the weather, and every day I saw an
improvement; though the causes of his illness were too deeply seated to
callow the atmosphere to have much effect on him. We very soon repaired
the damages which the schooner had sustained, and by the next morning we
were all to rights. Our chief anxiety was for the brig. We had lost
sight of her in the squall, and we could not tell whether she had been
more prepared than we were to meet its fury. Even had she not suffered
from the gale, the plague might have broken out in her. Mr Vernon came
occasionally on deck, but he was compelled, from weakness, to spend the
greater part of the day in his cot, though this was very much aga