stantly turned the boat's head
towards the young officer, who was still swimming on with wonderful
strength. In this instance the men were more successful; the boat's
head dropped down close to him, and Peter, stretching out his arm,
grasped the young man by the shoulder, and hauled him in over the bows,
and passed him on into the stern-sheets. Though faint at first, the
Spaniard instantly recovered himself, and stood upright in the boat,
gazing eagerly around. As the boat rose on a sea, he caught sight of
the object of his search. He pointed towards the floating form of the
young lady. Even when first seen, the line by which she had been
hurriedly and imperfectly secured to the plank I observed was loosened.
The wash of the sea now parted her from it entirely. The young man saw
what had occurred. With a cry of anguish, before our people could seize
him, he sprang from the gunwale towards the object of his love, as her
dress carried her down beneath the foaming waters. I think he reached
her. They disappeared at the same moment, and never rose again!

Still a few people kept above water, holding on to planks, or swimming,
chiefly seamen or soldiers; but most of them had been carried to too
great a distance from the brig for a boat to save them. It was only by
keeping under our lee, our hull preventing the sea from breaking so
much, that the boat avoided being swamped. Thus we could expect that
only a very few of those who floated to the last could be saved. No one
could have ventured further than did our brave mate and his crew;--they
would in all probability have thrown away their own lives had not
Captain Helfrich recalled them. He signalled with his hand, but Mr
Gale did not observe him. "Fire a gun there," he shouted; "quick, for
your lives!" A gun had been ready loaded for the purpose. Its report
served as the funeral knell of many a despairing wretch.

The boat put about. The returning alongside was as perilous an
operation almost as the lowering the boat had been. All hands not
required at the falls stood ready with ropes to heave to our shipmates
should she be swamped alongside; but the oars being thrown in, Mr Gale
and Peter seizing the fall-tackles at the right moment, hooked on, and
the rest of the people handing themselves up by the ropes hanging ready
for them, the boat was hoisted up before the sea again rose under her
bottom. It was sad to think: that all their gallant efforts had been