mark, when a severe shock, accompanied by a grating
sound, conveyed to me the disagreeable information that the stern of
the vessel was on the rocks. Whether we tad two anchors out or one;
whether our cables were _hove taut_ or not; whether we had thirty
fathoms out or only fifteen, are points still in dispute; but at any
rate we had no steam; so, after we once were on the rock, we had for
some time no means of getting off it. During this period the thumping
and grating continued. It seemed, moreover, once or twice, to be
probable that we should run foul of a ship moored near us. However,
after a while, the engines began to work, and then symptoms of a panic
manifested themselves. The passengers came running up to me, saying
that the captain was evidently going to sea, that there were merchant
captains and others on board who declared that the certain destruction
of the ship and all on board would be the consequence, and begging me
to interfere to save the lives of all, my own included. At first I
declined to do anything,--told them that I had no intention of taking
the command of the ship, and recommended them in that respect to
follow my example. At last, however, as they became importunate, I
sent Crealock[2] to the captain, with my compliments, to ask him
whether we were going to sea. The answer was not encouraging, and went
a small way towards raising the spirits of my nervous friends around
me. 'Going to sea,' said the captain, 'why, we are going to the
bottom.' The fact is that we were at the time when that reply was
given going pretty rapidly to the bottom. The water was rising fast in
the after-part of the ship, and to this providential circumstance I
ascribe our safety. The captain started with the hope that he would be
able to pump into his boilers all the water made by the leak. If he
had succeeded, the chances are that by this time the whole concern
would have been deposited somewhere in the bed of the ocean. The leak
was, however, too much for him, and he had nothing for it but to run
over to the opposite side of the anchorage, where there is a sandy
bay, and there to beach his ship. We performed this operation
successfully, though at times it seemed probable that the water would
gain upon us so quickly as to stop the working of the engines before
we reached our destination.