Page:Awful phenomena of nature (2).pdf/61

 wheel, and fortunately had hold of the taffarel, which enabled him to reſiſt in part the weight of  wave. he was, however, ſwept off his feet, daſhed againſt the main-maſt. The jerk from taffarel, which he held very tenaciouſly, ſeemed as if it would have diſlocated his arms: it broke, however the impetus of his notion, and in all probability ſaved him from being daſhed to pieces againſt the maſt.

"I floundered about," ſays he, "in the water the foot of the maſt, till at length I got on my, and ſeized a rope, which I held in a ſtate of great embaraſſment, dubious what I ſhould do to extricate myſelf. At this inſtant I perceived that Mr. Hall had got upon the capſtern, and was waving his hand to me to follow his example: this I wiſhed to do, though it was an enterpriſe of ſome riſk and difficulty; for, if I loſt the hold I had, a  motion of the veſſel, or a full wave, would certainly carry me overboard. I made a bold puſh, however, and fortunately accompliſhed it. Having attained this ſtation, I could the better ſurvey the wreck, and ſaw that the water was nearly breaſt-high on the quarter deck (for the veſſel was deep-waiſted) and I perceived the unfortunate Engliſh purſer ſtanding where the water was moſt ſhallow, as if watching with patient expectation its riſing, and awaiting death: I called to him to come to us, but he ſhook his herd in diſpair, and ſaid, in a lamentable tone, "it is all over with us! God have mercy upon us!"--then ſeated himſelf with ſeeming compoſure on a chair which happened to be rolling about in the wreck of the deck, and in a few minutes afterwards was waſhed into the ſea along with it, where he was ſpeedily releaſed from a ſtate ten thouſand times worſe than death.

"During this univerſal wreck of things, the