their brave hearts did not sink in utter despair;
they did their utmost to keep themselves afloat, by incessantly baling
out the water with their hats and hands. They thought the night would
never end, and that they should never see the morrow; but day dawned
upon them at last, and then with what anxious eyes did they sweep the
horizon. But in vain they looked; not a sail was to be seen. An hour
passed away; they shipped such a quantity of water that their
imperfect attempts to bale it out were almost useless. The boat sank
deeper and deeper, and their hearts sank too. Suddenly a ship hove in
sight, and she seemed to be bearing towards them. Hope and fear
struggled for the mastery in their breasts; hope urged them to renewed
efforts to keep themselves from sinking, whilst, in breathless
anxiety, they watched the vessel. She came nearer and nearer; the
watchers felt sure they were perceived; then a boat was lowered, and
they thanked God for their deliverance. In a few minutes they were
received on board H.M. ship Thalia, more dead than alive, after so
many hours' endurance of cold, hunger, and dismay.

We must now return to Captain Scott and his companions on the wreck.
The men were mustered by the officers on the quarter-deck; they
numbered ninety-five or ninety-seven, and they had been all actively
employed in making rafts, and lashing together spars and other
materials, by which they hoped to save themselves, in the event of the
ship going to pieces before assistance should arrive. Hour after hour
passed away, and no help came; by the noise of the vessel grinding
against the rocks they knew that she could not hold together much
longer. Captain Scott continued to issue his commands with coolness
and decision, and they were promptly obeyed by both officers and men.
About four o'clock in the morning, the quarter-deck being no longer
tenable, all the crew were obliged to betake themselves to the main
and mizen chains. They had already suffered severely from the cold,
but they had now to endure it in greater intensity. In their exposed
situation the waves frequently washed entirely over them, and their
limbs were so benumbed with cold that it was with the utmost
difficulty they could hold on to the wreck, so as to save themselves
from being swept into the abyss of waters that seemed yawning to
receive them. By degrees, even the cries and the complaints of the
sufferers became hushed: not a word was spoken; in awful silence