sparkling brine in her wake, seemed like a fiery stream, rolling its
troubled foam upon the dark waters.

"Brace the yards up sharp-hard a-starboard!--and trim aft the
sheets," ordered the Captain, who had previously given the order,
"All hands on deck!"

The order was scarcely executed, before the noise of the approaching
gale was heard in the distance. All hands were ordered to shorten
sail as quickly as possible; but before they could get aloft, it
came upon them with such fury from E.N.E. as to carry away the
foretop-mast and topgallant-mast, together with its sails, and the
main-topgallant-mast with the sail. The foretop-mast, in going by
the board, carried away the flying-jib-boom and flying-jibs. Thus
the ill-fated Janson was doomed to another struggle for her floating
existence. The sea began to rise and break in fearful power; the
leak had already increased so, that two men were continually kept
working the pumps. The crew, with commendable alacrity, cut away the
wreck, which had been swaying to and fro, not only endangering the
lives of those on board, but obstructing every attempt to get the
vessel into any kind of working order. The main-sail had rent from
the leash to the peak of the gaff, and was shaking into shreds. The
starboard sheet of the maintop-sail was gone, and it had torn at the
head from the bolt-rope, flying at every gust like the shreds of a
muslin rag in a hail-storm. Without the government of her helm, she
lay in the trough of the sea more like a log than a manageable mass.
Sea after sea broke over her, carrying every thing before them at
each pass. The officers and crew had now as much as they could do to
retain their holds, without making any effort to save the wreck,
while the men at the pumps could only work at each subsiding of the