but where it even breaks, the foam seeming to glance up stream, in
the rapid succession of wave to wave. Had the Swash remained in her
terrific berth more than a second or two, she would have proved what
is termed a "total loss;" but she did not. Happily, the Pot Rock
lies so low that it is not apt to fetch up anything of a light
draught of water, and the brigantine's fore-foot had just settled on
its summit, long enough to cause the vessel to whirl round and make
her obeisance to the place, when a succeeding swell lifted her
clear, and away she went down stream, rolling as if scudding in a
gale, and, for a moment, under no command whatever. There lay
another danger ahead, or it would be better to say astern, for the
brig was drifting stern foremost; and that was in an eddy under a
bluff, which bluff lies at an angle in the reach, where it is no
uncommon thing for craft to be cast ashore, after they have passed
all the more imposing and more visible dangers above. It was in
escaping this danger, and in recovering the command of his vessel,
that Spike now manifested the sort of stuff of which he was really
made, in emergencies of this sort. The yards were all sharp up when
the accident occurred, and springing to the lee braces, just as a
man winks when his eye is menaced, he seized the weather fore-brace
with his own hands, and began to round in the yard, shouting out to
the man at the wheel to "port his helm" at the same time. Some of
the people flew to his assistance, and the yards were not only
squared, but braced a little up on the other tack, in much less time
than we have taken to relate the evolution. Mulford attended to the
main-sheet, and succeeded in getting the boom out in the right
direction. Although the wind was in truth very light, the velocity
of the drift filled the canvas, and taking the arrow-like current on
her lee bow, the Swash, like a frantic steed that is alarmed with
the wreck made by his own madness, came under command, and sheered