a great sea-bird. Before we could draw breath a heavy gust
struck her, another roller took her unfairly under the weather bow, she
gave a toppling lurch, and filled her decks. Captain Allistoun leaped
up, and fell; Archie rolled over him, screaming:--"She will rise!"

She gave another lurch to leeward; the lower deadeyes dipped heavily;
the men's feet flew from under them, and they hung kicking above the
slanting poop. They could see the ship putting her side in the water,
and shouted all together:--"She's going!" Forward the forecastle doors
flew open, and the watch below were seen leaping out one after another,
throwing their arms up; and, falling on hands and knees, scrambled aft
on all fours along the high side of the deck, sloping more than the
roof of a house. From leeward the seas rose, pursuing them; they looked
wretched in a hopeless struggle, like vermin fleeing before a flood;
they fought up the weather ladder of the poop one after another, half
naked and staring wildly; and as soon as they got up they shot to
leeward in clusters, with closed eyes, till they brought up heavily with
their ribs against the iron stanchions of the rail; then, groaning, they
rolled in a confused mass. The immense volume of water thrown forward
by the last scend of the ship had burst the lee door of the forecastle.
They could see their chests, pillows, blankets, clothing, come out
floating upon the sea. While they struggled back to windward they
looked in dismay. The straw beds swam high, the blankets, spread out,
undulated; while the chests, waterlogged and with a heavy list, pitched
heavily like dismasted hulks, before they sank; Archie's big coat passed
with outspread arms, resembling a drowned seaman floating with his head
under water. Men were slipping down while trying to dig their fingers
into the planks; others, jammed in corners, rolled enormous eyes. They
all yelled unceasingly:--"The masts! Cut! Cut!..." A black squall howled
low over the ship, that lay on her side with the weather yard-arms
pointing to the clouds; while the tall masts, inclined nearly to the
horizon, seemed to be of an immeasurable length. The carpenter let go
his hold, rolled against the skylight, and began to crawl to the cabin
entrance, where a big axe was kept ready for just such an emergency.
At that moment the topsail sheet parted, the end of the heavy chain
racketed aloft, and sparks of red fire streamed down through the flying
sprays. The sail f