pe. Men sighed, shouted, hissed meaningless words, groaned. The
yards moved, came slowly square against the wind, that hummed loudly
on the yard-arms.--"Going off, sir," shouted Singleton, "she's just
started."--"Catch a turn with that brace. Catch a turn!" clamoured the
master. Mr. Creighton, nearly suffocated and unable to move, made a
mighty effort, and with his left hand managed to nip the rope.

--"All fast!" cried some one. He closed his eyes as if going off into
a swoon, while huddled together about the brace we watched with scared
looks what the ship would do now.

She went off slowly as though she had been weary and disheartened like
the men she carried. She paid off very gradually, making us hold our
breath till we choked, and as soon as she had brought the wind abaft the
beam she started to move, and fluttered our hearts. It was awful to see
her, nearly overturned, begin to gather way and drag her submerged side
through the water. The dead-eyes of the rigging churned the breaking
seas. The lower half of the deck was full of mad whirlpools and eddies;
and the long line of the lee rail could be seen showing black now and
then in the swirls of a field of foam as dazzling and white as a field
of snow. The wind sang shrilly amongst the spars; and at every slight
lurch we expected her to slip to the bottom sideways from under our
backs. When dead before it she made the first distinct attempt to stand
up, and we encouraged her with a feeble and discordant howl. A great sea
came running up aft and hung for a moment over us with a curling top;
then crashed down under the counter and spread out on both sides into
a great sheet of bursting froth. Above its fierce hiss we heard
Singleton's croak:--"She is steering!" He had both his feet now
planted firmly on the grating, and the wheel spun fast as he eased the
helm.--"Bring the wind on the port quarter and steady her!" called out
the master, staggering to his feet, the first man up from amongst our
prostrate heap. One or two screamed with excitement:--"She rises!" Far
away forward, Mr. Baker and three others were seen erect and black on
the clear sky, lifting their arms, and with open mouths as though they
had been shouting all together. The ship trembled, trying to lift her
side, lurched back, seemed to give up with a nerveless dip, and suddenly
with an unexpected jerk swung violently to windward, as though she had
torn herself out from a deadly grasp. The whole immense