as they were enveloped in an opaque cloud of smoke, which hid from
them those who still remained on the deck of the vessel. Philip
attempted to speak to those on board, but he was not heard. A scene
of confusion took place which ended in great loss of life. The only
object appeared to be who should first escape; though, except by
jumping overboard, there was no escape. Had they waited, and (as
Philip would have pointed out to them) have one by one thrown
themselves into the sea, the men in the boats were fully prepared
to pick them up; or had they climbed out to the end of the lateen
mizen-yard which was lowered down, they might have descended safely by
a rope, but the scorching of the flames which surrounded them and the
suffocation from the smoke was overpowering, and most of the soldiers
sprang over the taffrail at once, or as nearly so as possible. The
consequence was that there were thirty or forty in the water at the
same time, and the scene was as heart-rending as it was appalling; the
sailors in the boats dragging them in as fast as they could--the women
on the raft, throwing to them loose garments to haul them in; at one
time a wife shrieking as she saw her husband struggling and sinking
into eternity;--at another, curses and execrations from the swimmer
who was grappled with by the drowning man, and dragged with him under
the surface. Of eighty men who were left of the troops on board at the
time of the bursting out of the flames from the stern windows, but
twenty-five were saved. There were but few seamen left on board with
Philip, the major part having been employed in making the raft or
manning the three boats; those who were on board remained by his side,
regulating their motions by his. After allowing full time for the
soldiers to be picked up, Philip ordered the men to climb out to the
end of the lateen yard which hung on the taffrail, and either to lower
themselves down on the raft if it was under, or to give notice to the
boats to receive them. The raft had been dropped farther astern by the
seamen, that those on board of it might not suffer from the smoke and
heat; and the sailors, one after another, lowered themselves down
and were received by the boats. Philip desired Captain Barentz to go
before him, but the captain refused. He was too much choked with smoke
to say why, but no doubt but that it would have been something in
praise of the _Vrow Katerina_. Philip then climbed out; he was
followed by