FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32  
>>  
were obliged to bale out the water from between decks. _Tuesday, the 12th._--At the turn of the day the hurricane still continued, and the rudder was gone. At 1 A. M. they felt the ship strike, and gave themselves up for lost, expecting every moment to be engulphed in the depths of the ocean. But it pleased Him, whom the winds and the sea obey, "Who plants his footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm," to decree otherwise, and, at the moment of impending destruction, the ship and all her inmates were saved. After a short time, it was discovered that the ship was thrown on a reef of rocks, and had bilged; and although the water entered her through the holes which the rocks had made, and filled her up to the lower beams, yet that it soon smothered, and, the bilge pieces keeping her upright, she lay comparatively quiet. But being fearful that she might beat over the reef into deep water, they let go the larboard bower-anchor, and shortly afterwards found the water leaving her. After this all hands fell asleep, being exhausted with fatigue and hardship. Captain Doutty and the military gentlemen were in Captain Stapleton's cabin, which was the only one habitable. Captain Doutty felt too anxious to rest long, but lay watching whilst all was still, except the beating of the waves and the rain on the poop. He then went out in front of the poop. He could discern nothing but the surf breaking heavily on and around his unfortunate vessel. He then lay down again, wishing earnestly for the break of day. THE DELIVERANCE. "The night is gone, and o'er the sea, The morning sun shines peacefully; Again 'tis calm, again 'tis still, Noiseless as gentle summer's rill." _Anon._ At length the morning broke, which was to introduce the ship's company, just rescued from a watery grave, to a new era in their existence. With the daybreak the hurricane also began to break, and, though it rained heavily, the barometer rose rapidly until it stood at 29 deg. 45". The captain then beheld, to his great joy, the loom, or land-mark of the shore, to leeward, rising like a black belt, above the breakers. The land was an island, off the east coast of the Great Andaman, in latitude 12 deg. 1" north, and longitude about 93 deg. 14" east. The Andaman Islands, which are about eight in number, and covered with trees, form a group at the entrance of the Bay of Bengal, and are near
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32  
>>  



Top keywords:

Captain

 

hurricane

 

Andaman

 
Doutty
 
morning
 

moment

 
heavily
 

Noiseless

 

gentle

 

introduce


watery
 

rescued

 

company

 

length

 

summer

 
vessel
 

wishing

 

earnestly

 

unfortunate

 
discern

breaking

 
DELIVERANCE
 

shines

 

peacefully

 

obliged

 

latitude

 

longitude

 
breakers
 

island

 

entrance


Bengal

 

Islands

 

number

 

covered

 

barometer

 

rapidly

 

rained

 

daybreak

 

leeward

 

rising


captain

 

beheld

 

existence

 

discovered

 

inmates

 

decree

 
impending
 

destruction

 

thrown

 

Tuesday