Page:The Cornwall coast.djvu/362

 356 THE CORNWALL COAST of thirty-five. The Bencoolen was trading from Liverpool to Bombay. We may take Hawker's description of the disaster, recollecting, however, that he wrote in great excitement, and that he was a little unjust to the men of Bude. The wreck took place towards the end of October, after a hurricane that " lasted seven days and nights. On Tuesday at two o'clock afternoon a hull was seen off Bude wallowing in the billows. All rushed to the shore. At three she struck on the sand close to the breakwater — not 300 yards from the rocks. Manby's apparatus was brought down — a rocket fired and a rope carried over to the ship. The mate sprang to clutch it — missed — and fell into the sea, to be seen no more alive. ' Another rope ! ' was the cry. But from the mismanagement of those in charge there was no other there. They then saw the poor fellows constructing a raft and launching it. A call for the lifeboat, one of large cost, provided with all good gear, kept close by. She was run down to the water. A shout for men — none — a few of the Hovillers, pilotmen, got on board, but refused to put off — all Bude lining the cliffs and shore — Well, well — to abbreviate a horror, the raft was tossed over. About six were washed ashore with life in them, four corpses, and the rest were carried off to sea dead — 26 corpses are somewhere in our water, and my men are watching for their coming on shore. The County gives 5s. for finding each corpse, and I give 5s. more. Therefore they are generally found and brought here to the vicarage, where the inquest and the attendant events nearly kill me. . . . Hordes of people picking up — salvors with carts and horses — and lookers on. It reminded me of old Holingshed's definition, ' a place called Bedes