thing was
very clear, that if we did not cut away the masts they would either go
by the board, or she herself, from her terrific labouring, would go
down. The captain evidently did not like to cripple the ship by cutting
away the masts, and kept waiting in the hopes that the gale was at its
height and would soon abate. Vain was the hope. The gale, on the
contrary, kept increasing. At last he sent them aloft to cut away the
main-topmast. Quick as lightning they flew to obey the order, for they
well knew how much depended on its execution. Scarcely were they aloft
when the hurricane struck us with greater fury than ever.

"`Down, down, for your lives!' shouted the captain; `the mainmast must
go.'

"While we were waiting for the men to come down--and never did a few
moments of my life appear so long, for I knew that every single one was
of importance--a terrific gust struck the ship. Over she heeled; down,
down she went.

"`She's gone, she's gone!' shrieked out many on deck.

"I hoped that she would lift again, but she did not. Lower and lower
she sank. All who were on deck, captain, officers and crew, who could
manage it, clambered up on the ship's side. Some poor fellows who were
to leeward, and unable to haul themselves up to the weather side, were
washed off by the foaming sea, and, unable to help them, we saw them
drowned before our eyes. We felt that in another moment their fate
might be ours, for so far gone was the ship that the wheel on the
quarter-deck was already under water, and to our dismay we saw that the
ship was settling down every moment lower and lower. All the time she
kept moving about terrifically, and all we could do was to cling on and
watch for our approaching dissolution. Higher every instant rose the
water, and it had now reached the after part of the carronade slides on
the weather side. All hope was now gone. No ship with a heavy armament
like ours had ever floated in such a position. Those who could or dared
pray prayed; the rest waited in dull or hardened indifference for their
fate. There was a tremendous deafening crash. I thought our last
moment had come, but no, at that instant I saw the masts breaking away
like mere faggots; the bowsprit, spanker-boom, everything went, and with
a spring the ship righted so much that the lee gunwale rose even with
the water's edge.

"`Now, my lads,' shouted out our captain in a tone which animated all
hands; `now's our time! Overb