from the ropes.

The men, led by the mates, had work enough to clear the wreck of the
masts, and to get the spars stowed away. I should have thought that we
were in a bad state, but the officers and men took matters very coolly,
so I hoped that all was right.

Not long after this a ship was seen ahead. They said that she was a
large ship with some of her masts gone, and that a flag was flying which
showed that she was in distress--that is, in a bad way--like to sink.

We soon drove down to her. There she lay in the trough of the sea. I
heard Mr Alder say that she was twice as big as we were, that there
were soldiers on board with their wives and children, but that we could
give her no help. As we drew near, we saw a number of men at the pumps,
working away for their lives. Some fifty soldiers or more stood ready
drawn up to take their places. There were many more people on deck.
They stretched out their hands as they saw us come near. It made my
heart bleed to think that we could give them no help, but if we had
tried to lower a boat, our own people would have been lost.

For the first time I saw some of our men change colour. They had good
reason to do so, for it seemed as if we should drive right against the
ship and send her to the bottom and ourselves also. As it was, we
passed so near that we could see the look of fear in the faces of the
people, and could hear their piteous cries.

She had not a boat remaining, and had a raft been formed, the people
would have been swept off in that raging sea.

No, there was no hope for a single being on board. Still they might
live on in that state for hours.

I was thinking how sad it was for them when I heard a cry, and saw on a
sudden the big ship lift up her bows out of the water. The people
rushed forward; many were caught by the sea and swept away. It mattered
little even for those who gained the forecastle,--down, down went the
ship; and then I rubbed my eyes. The tops of her masts were seen above
the waves; they too sunk, and for some minutes there was not a sign of
her left. In those few short moments all the men and women and children
who were on board had lost their lives, and were called to stand before
God.

Here and there a spar, or a plank, or a hencoop, or grating floated up,
but not one person could we see.

On we flew. We could have given no help; none was wanted.

"Many a tall ship has gone down in the same way when no one has been