escription can realize the awful state of the ill-fated ship and
all on board at this appalling moment; the night was rainy and so dark
that it was impossible to ascertain their position, beyond the fact of
their being repeatedly driven with tremendous force against cliffs of a
stupendous height above them, and consequently inaccessible, and not
offering the slightest chance of escape; the upper deck of the ship,
the only part in which exertion could be useful, was completely choked
up with masts, sails, and rigging, which presented obstacles that
rendered unavailing every attempt at active exertion; while the ears of
all, who were of course using their utmost endeavors for the general
safety, were pierced by the cries of the dying and wounded for the
assistance which the imperious calls of duty forbade them to give.
Nothing but inevitable destruction presented itself to all on board;
and their perfectly helpless state rendered all deliberation useless;
and indeed there was no choice of measures, no point on which to offer
an opinion, and they could only await such means as Providence might
present."[1]

As by a miracle, the bowsprit and yard-arms had so checked the speed of
the frigate, acting as a sort of buffer, that her hull was not smashed
like an eggshell but was found to be fairly tight. All of the boats
had been smashed by the falling spars, and the wretched company could
only hang fast and pray that the wreck might float until daylight. But
the hammering seas soon caused her to leak through yawning seams, and
despairing of keeping her from sinking, a few of the crew managed to
reach a shelving projection of rock about twenty feet above the deck.
It was a forlorn hope, so perilous to attempt that many of those who
scrambled for a foothold fell between the ship and the cliff and were
drowned or crushed to death.

Presently the hulk swung away from the face of the cliff and was driven
a distance of a third of a mile along the coast and into a tiny cove or
notch in the bold headlands of Cape Frio. Here she remained, now
sinking very fast. The party who had succeeded in making a landing on
the ledge clawed their way to the rescue, following the drifting ship,
and with the hardihood and agility of British tars of the old breed,
they made their way down the declivity like so many cats and succeeded
in making fast to a rope thrown by their comrades on board. By this
means, several men had been hauled to safety wh