ost helplessly before the fury of the gale could
not but prove a very great source of danger to each other, now that it
was no longer possible to regulate their rate of sailing; and George
soon found himself confronted with a new anxiety, that of being in
danger of a collision. The sea was rising with extraordinary rapidity,
and the various craft soon began to steer wildly, sheering so rankly,
first to one side and then to the other, that many of them threatened to
broach-to altogether.

The _Aurora_ was a very smart little vessel under her canvas, as she now
proved by keeping pace with two large ships, one of which lay on her
port-bow, and the other on her starboard beam. So even was the rate of
sailing of the three that neither of them, anxious as each was to
accomplish the feat, could draw away from the others; and the strength
of the gale was such that it was equally impossible for them either to
make or to reduce sail. There they remained, therefore, maintaining
exactly the same relative position to each other, now sheering
uncontrollably inwards, so that each man held his breath and braced
himself for the shock which seemed inevitable, and which, under such
circumstances, must result in the total destruction of both ships; and,
anon, surging as wildly off in opposite directions.

To add still further to Captain Leicester's embarrassments, the trio of
ships were rapidly overhauling a fourth, which was wallowing along dead
ahead of the _Aurora_. She was a large craft, apparently of about eight
hundred tons measurement; her three topmasts were carried away close off
by the caps; the wreckage was all lying inboard, cumbering up her decks;
her courses and staysails were blown to ribbons; and she was steering so
badly that it was difficult to say _where_ she was going, except that
her general direction was to leeward. George saw that, should he
overtake this vessel before getting clear of the two which already
hampered him so seriously, a catastrophe was inevitable, and he speedily
made up his mind that the _Aurora's_ speed _must_ be sufficiently
reduced to allow of her dropping astern and into the wake of one or the
other of his present consorts. The only means by which, under the
circumstances, this could be accomplished was by sacrificing the
fore-topsail; and he accordingly called for a volunteer to assist him in
the task. Mr Bowen and the carpenter both proffered their services,
and, selecting the latter, a