Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v4p1.djvu/337

 and by the light of lanthorns, he dragged his boat over a long flat of oaze, in which his feet sank at every step, the tide being out.

“He embarked about midnight in his boat, with as many men as she could well contain, to proceed on his way to the Adour, being about eighteen miles distant, on the open sea, at that time running high; and expecting the enemy would not suffer him to proceed unmolested, he provided himself with a number of bottle corks, to stop up any holes in the boat their small shot might make – his only defence.

“He arrived before day-break at a place, which from the soldiers’ fires, as he afterwards found them to be, had well nigh proved fatal to him; for here he got suddenly entangled with a very heavy surf. Having extricated himself, he lay to till day-light, supposing he could not be far from the place where he was wanted.

“As the day broke, he perceived the surf, of amazing height and of vast breadth; so that the low part of the land could not at all he seen. He also observed in the offing, Rear-Admiral Penrose and the flotilla; the wind having favored them in the night.

“He repaired on board the rear-admiral, delivered the letter from Colonel Elphinstone, and obtained permission to fulfil the engagement he had made with that officer. By this time the signal for attempting the passage was flying, and Captain Dowell O’Reilly, of the Lyra sloop, having with him a Spanish pilot and a number of boats, had advanced towards the mouth of the river, where he was reconnoitring at the back of the heavy surf.

“Stimulated by the known necessities of the troops, as well as by the promise he had made, and apprehensive lest the tide would soon be too far spent, your memorialist proceeded onwards, passed by those boats, and soon arrived at a spot from whence it would have been impossible to return; nor, indeed, had he any such desire. Feeling it absolutely necessary to go on, he mentally commended himself to the Almighty, encouraged his men with his voice, waved his hat with one hand, and with the other steered his little and deeply laden boat, which, urged with the utmost force of oars and sails, and borne on the top of several enormous waves, each of which broke under her, seemed to fly along. As he cheered, the strength of his men seemed redoubled. Suddenly he perceived that he was running upon a spit of sand, which jutted out into the river, and, though surprised, he instantly gave the necessary orders for beaching, which were as promptly obeyed; a heavy wave now threw the boat upon the bank, and retiring, left her nearly dry; still he kept the men fast in their places, till a succession of similar waves had carried the boat into further security: he then made them Jump out, and by the help of the still coming water, drag her upon the sand: he would not himself quit the boat till this was effected, lest his men should slacken in their endeavours, as every thing appeared to depend on their exertions.

“Captain O’Reilly, who followed immediately after him in a larger and