ilors; still less should I have looked forward to
its threatening us with any danger; but the eye of experience had not
been deceived, and from my perch I was soon able to discover, as each
passage over the summit of a wave brought the dark mass against the sky,
that its approach was rapid, and directed with unerring precision, so as
to cross our course at the fatal moment. She was scudding before the
gale, with almost all her sails set, and consequently, on striking our
ship, nothing could save us from an instantaneous founder.

At each successive appearance the mass became larger and blacker; but
the cry of our crew, in which I now joined, never ceased. At length we
were only separated by the ascent of one wave, at the summit of which
was balanced the huge bulk of our antagonist, while we were far below
the level of her keel--but her steersman had heard the cry; for at the
moment when certainly no hope of saving--at least our ship, remained to
any of us, we saw the other swerve as she descended--and after
approaching to within half her length of our starboard bow, she glided
by at the distance of a yard from where I was standing.

I now drew a deep breath before I jumped down on to the deck; after
which, beginning to perceive that I was as wet as if we had been run
down, I was hastening to the cabin, when my progress was stopped by the
captain, who, without perceiving any one, was stamping up and down the
centre of the vessel, and actually tearing his hair with both his hands.
I paused to observe this tragic performance, which shortly gave place to
an indistinct and much interrupted speech, in which, in the intervals
left by all the oaths as yet invented in the French and Languedoc
tongues, there could be distinguished dark threats of vengeance,
addressed to the captain of the large brig, whom he was to discover
without fail on his return to Marseille.

All the passengers now descended to the cabin, and having stripped and
rolled myself in my cloak turned inside out, I threw myself on my couch.
We were now, in spite of recent experience, provided with a fresh
lighted lantern, to be produced on the next call. This we took care
still to look to, although we hardly expected more than one such chance
in one night.

It was past two, and we had scarcely left off discussing our narrow
escape, when another rapid and significant demand for the lantern
announced a second peril. On this occasion I took my time, for I had
ref