stern way, and ran foul of the prize, and there we were, in a heavy sea,
with our stern grinding against the cotton ship's high quarter.

The main boom, by the first rasp that took place after I came on deck, was
broken short off, and nearly twelve feet of it hove right in over the
taffril; the vessels then closed, and the next rub ground off the ship's
mizzen channel as clean as if it had been sawed away. Officers shouting,
men swearing, rigging cracking, the vessels crashing and thumping together,
I thought we were gone, when the first lieutenant seized his trumpet
"Silence, men,--hold your tongues, you cowards, and mind the word of
command!"

The effect was magical.--"Brace round the foreyard; round with it--set the
jib--that's it--fore--topmast stay--sail--haul--never mind if the gale
takes it out of the bolt rope"--a thundering flap, and away it flew in
truth down to leeward, like a puff of white smoke.--"Never mind, men, the
jib stands. Belay all that--down with the helm, now don't you see she has
sternway yet? Zounds! we shall be smashed to atoms if you don't mind your
hands, you lubbers--main--topsail sheets let fly--there she pays off, and
has headway once more, that's it--right your helm now--never mind his
spanker--boom, the forestay will stand it--there--up with the helm, sir
we have cleared him hurrah!"--And a near thing it was too but we soon had
every thing snug; and although the gale continued without any intermission
for ten days, at length we ran in and anchored with our prize in Five
Fathom Hole, off the entrance to St George's Harbour.

It was lucky for us that we got to anchor at the time we did, for that same
afternoon, one of the most tremendous gales of wind from the westward came
on that I ever saw. Fortunately it was steady and did not veer about, and
having good ground--tackle down, we rode it out well enough. The effect