11th, at night, finding the "Langolee," one of my prizes, some
distance astern, and suspecting that she was about to give us the slip,
I dropped astern, and, taking her in tow, brought her into the middle of
the fleet. At midnight, however, a heavy gust of wind compelled me to
cut the hawser and clap before it. With the small crew I had I found no
little difficulty in handing my sails, which, after some time having
done, I struck topgallant yards and masts and lay-to under a
close-reefed mainsail. Once having made the ship snug I endeavoured to
discover the whereabouts of the rest of the convoy, but not a trace of
them could I discover. I hoped, however, with the morning light to make
them out. When the cold-grey dawn spread over the ocean and I went
aloft not a sail was in sight.

"This is no great misfortune," said I to Grampus when I came on deck.
"The Rattlesnake is a prime sailer, and by taking advantage of the winds
we shall reach New York much sooner than if we had been obliged to whip
up the convoy. We are a match, too, for any of the smaller rebel
vessels we are likely to fall in with, and we must run away from the
bigger ones."

"That may be, sir," answered the old man, "but d'ye see, sir, I've no
great opinion of this here craft if it was to come on any long course of
bad weather. I've a notion she's an old craft, and I doubt much the
soundness of her timbers and planks."

I was rather inclined to laugh at Nol's prognostication, and thought no
more about his remarks. Before, however, many hours had passed, the
gale, which had hitherto been blowing pretty steadily, increased in
fury; the sea ran very high, and the spray, as it broke on board, froze
hard on deck and sheathed the rigging in ice. When short-handed this is
very trying, as double the strength is required to make the running
rigging work. Happily we were under snug canvas, for I do not think we
could have made or shortened sail. Towards evening Grampus came up to
me with a look of concern in his countenance.

"I told you so, sir," he said, touching his hat. "The old ship has
sprung a leak. She has not lost time in letting in the water, for there
are four feet already in the hold."

Immediately on hearing this appalling news I gave orders to man the
pumps, but it was at once found, to our further dismay, that they were
useless, for they were choked with ice. Since the gale sprang up we had
been unable to light a fire. In vain for