Life on the ocean: . rose,and along came a huge mass of black water, which Iknew very well, if it came on board, would swamp thelittle brig. Lie down for your lives, shouted the cap-tain, and come aft; secure yourselves, every man ofyou ; hard-a-port. Just at that moment the violence of the winds struckns a-beam, and, having nothing on her but the fore-top-mast-staysail, she paid off before the wind, and tookthe heavy rolling sea on her quarter, and in a fewminutes she was scudding away before it, at the rateof eleven knots. The next hour, it blew a hurricane ; each succeedingsea grew higher,
Life on the ocean: . rose,and along came a huge mass of black water, which Iknew very well, if it came on board, would swamp thelittle brig. Lie down for your lives, shouted the cap-tain, and come aft; secure yourselves, every man ofyou ; hard-a-port. Just at that moment the violence of the winds struckns a-beam, and, having nothing on her but the fore-top-mast-staysail, she paid off before the wind, and tookthe heavy rolling sea on her quarter, and in a fewminutes she was scudding away before it, at the rateof eleven knots. The next hour, it blew a hurricane ; each succeedingsea grew higher, and rolled heavily after us with fearfulrapidity, as if driven along by the imp of darkness,eager to swallovv us up as his prey. Just then, a loudclap of thunder rose high above the roaring hurricane,and a sharp flash of lightning played round the mastsand rigging, like a blaze of fire ; it came from the north-west quarter, Starboard your helm, haul in the lar-board head-brace ! roared out the old skipper, in a tone. ilffWIMVWIi LIFE ON THE OCEAN. Si which was heard distinctly amid the contending ele-ments ; but it was too late: the hurricane suddenlyshifted eight points into the north-western board, andstruck her on the beam ; and at the same moment, theheavy rolling sea from the eastward was close aboard,part of which, as she lifted her stern, tucked her underthe counter: — away went the fore-topmast-staysail cleanout of the bolt-ropes, and the next moment, a heavycombing sea fell aboard, throwing poor Jack Evans,who was at the helm, twenty yards from the brig, andd^own she went smack on her beam-ends. I shallnever forget that scene, said the narrator mournfully;as we clung to the starboard side of the little brig, weheard the cries of poor Jack, and saw him strugglingfor life on the top of a sea. This sight set my eye-pumpsa-going, and, turning away, I saw the old skipper crawl-ing along towards the main-channels. Follow me !he shouted, and lend a hand to cut away the lany
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Keywords: ., bookcentury180, booksubjectsailors, booksubjectvoyagesandtravels
