Page:Melancholy consequences of two sea storms.pdf/9

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

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

During this universal wreck of things, the