the strain being further reduced by giving her a decided list to
port; that her crank is "bandaged," that she is leaky; that her
mainmast is sprung, and that with only four hours' steaming many of
her boiler tubes, even some of those put in at Auckland, had already
given way. I cannot testify concerning the mainmast, though it
certainly does comport itself like no other mainmast I ever saw; but
the other statements and many more which might be added, are, I
believe, substantially correct. That the caulking of the deck was
in evil case we very soon had proof, for during heavy rain above, it
was a smart shower in the saloon and state rooms, keeping four
stewards employed with buckets and swabs, and compelling us to dine
in waterproofs and rubber shoes.

In this dilapidated condition, when two days out from Auckland, we
encountered a revolving South Sea hurricane, succinctly entered in
the log of the day as "Encountered a very severe hurricane with a
very heavy sea." It began at eight in the morning, and never spent
its fury till nine at night, and the wind changed its direction
eleven times. The Nevada left Auckland two feet deeper in the water
than she ought to have been, and laboured heavily. Seas struck her
under the guards with a heavy, explosive thud, and she groaned and
strained as if she would part asunder. It was a long weird day. We
held no communication with each other, or with those who could form
any rational estimate of the probabilities of our destiny; no
officials appeared; the ordinary invariable routine of the steward
department was suspended without notice; the sounds were tremendous,
and a hot lurid obscurity filled the atmosphere. Soon after four
the clamour increased, and the shock of a sea blowing up a part of
the fore-guards made the groaning fabric reel and shiver throughout
her whole huge bulk. At that time, by common consent, we assembled