day our strained hopes were more fondly bent on home, though doubts and fears almost crushed them in our hearts. After some days we found ourselves a SOLITARY SHIP; the last two, which we had held in view for several days, had either preceded or fallen astern of us in the night, or perhaps had foundered.

Our view of created man was then confined to the deck of our own poor vessel. Of the thousand millions which ani mated the globe, we saw in our wretched selves the sole representatives: for myself I dared not think: hurrying from one labour to another, I sought to drown reflection in those toils which every hour's necessities imposed upon me and all.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

Increasing still the terrors of these storms,
His jaws terrific, arm'd with threefold fate,
Here dwells the direful shark:-lured by the scent
Of rank disease and death,

Behold! he rushing cuts the briny flood,

Swift as the gale can bear the ship along."

EACH morning we cast our anxious looks around, to catch a view of any living thing besides ourselves upon the surface of the dreary waste; but all was void and desolate. The sagacious shark hovered round our ship as if instinctively scenting his prey: every circumstance conspired to depress our hearts; but Heaven sustained us.

We had enjoyed for some days what is called a slant of wind, and could lie within two and a half points of our course; but sudden changes which took place within our last day's run gave fearful tokens of coming danger. We had been driven some hundred miles to the northward of our direct course, and had gone about to catch, as it was hoped, a "steady wester," when a furious tempest burst upon us, which left us no choice but to scud under bare poles before it, trusting to the soundness of the vessel and the skill and steadiness of the helmsman for our safety.

This frightful gale continued two days and nights, during which time not one of our officers or crew once lay down, or changed a garment. At length, on the third day, still being unable to show a stitch of canvass, and our rigging all in dis

order, it was deemed advisable to lie to, in order to repair our damages. This (however necessary) was, in our case, a nice and hazardous manoeuvre: we had the advantage of a light ship, it is true, which up to that hour, was as buoyant as a cork in the water. All being ready, the helm was eased down gently, the after yards braced up; she came up swiftly to the wind; when a little abaft the beam the main stay-sail was hoisted, head-yards braced up, and the helm lashed a turn to lee: she then rode with comparative ease. Two of the most miserable and anxious days of my whole existence concluded by an event the horrors of which will never be effaced from my mind.

Towards the close of the second day, while the lingering light just enabled us to distinguish the faces of those nearest, I came on deck to assist in making sail; a partial lull had existed for some hours. Bateman and two others were on the fore-yard; the helmsman had taken his station, securing himself with a stout lashing; the sea ran mountains high. I held a momentary conversation with the captain, who, holding by the main halliards, was hailing Tom Bateman (who was at the very ear-ring of the fore-yard,) and the others, to take care of themselves. At that moment a sudden darkness hung over the ship, as if she lay in the shadow of some mighty mountain. Urged by a powerful instinct, I rushed abaft, and crouching beside the aftermost gun, twisted my arm in its lashings, and held fast the thought and the action were momentary and simultaneous. The last sound my ear caught was, "MOIND YOURSELVES THERE ON DECK." In another instant I felt myself as if overwhelmed in a watery grave-a frightful crasha shriek-a confusion of horrid sounds died on my ear: almost suffocated, gasping for breath, I felt the weight of waters pass over my drenched body.

Either my eyes or my memory seemed to betray me as I opened them, and beheld the altered deck: our boats were swept from the booms; the bulwark on both sides from the main to the forechains was carried away as if by a broadside of twenty-four pounders. I could not perceive a soul on deck but the carefully lashed helmsman, who seemed perfectly master of the wheel; the ship was before the wind; dismal shrieks arose from cabin and deck; but the danger had in some degree. passed. A monstrous sea had struck the ship right on the beam: it carried all before it: its curling top had nearly swept from the fore-yard our daring mate and his two companions in danger. The unfortunate little captain, and a fine active young fellow, Lieutenant Fredericks of the 60th regiment, were victims of its fury; they were prematurely hurried to their watery grave.

Lieutenant Fredericks had for several nights past shared my cloak as we sat sheltered under the lee of the after bulwark, ready to take our share of the duty on deck; he was a cheerful, kind-hearted young fellow, ever ready to attend and oblige his more feeble messmates. Poor soul! he had not been a second on deck when he met his deplorable fate. I reflected with satisfaction that the last words I had addressed to the unfortunate captain were those of kindness. I should have been miserable had he left the world with the recollection of one word of harshness from my tongue upon his mind.

The people below were all afloat; the water had rushed down the companion. The main hatchway had fortunately been closely battened down all day, but sufficient of the sca had found its way downwards to set every thing swimming; the cries of the poor women and their little innocents were heart-rending.

It was now within two days of Christmas. Ah! how many thoughts this reflection called up in the minds of all. Among the most sanguine of our party was a youth of my own age, Lieutenant Charles Hanby Williams, of a West India regiment, the son of an old soldier, a Northumbrian, who, although from the day of our departure from the islands to the present, had never been able to move without the aid of a friendly arm, yet sang with his feeble voice a Christmas carol, and seemed as full of the well recollected festivity of the season as if beside his paternal hearth.

"Come, gentlemen," he would say with his peculiar accent, glass in hand, "Herwe's a merwy Christmas to us all!" although scarcely able to quaff his own sentiment. Happily, Heaven did preserve him to enjoy his family's embraces after all his perils.

We now seemed to have caught the long-desired westerly wind, which blew with steadiness; the nights were bright and starry, and the days were clear, cold, and bracing. Christmas was celebrated first by the prayers for the day, and afterwards by a general feast, in which all on board partook. Tom Bateman had been dubbed captain, but not to the entire content of the crew; but the four military men, who still assumed the control of all parties, kept down discontent. This day passed off in a manner that, for the time, dissipated all painful reflections: on the next but one, a shout of "Land! land, on the larboard beam!" drew our attention to that quarter, and our only astonishment was, how it could so long have escaped our ob servation.

It was a remarkably lofty range of mountains, and, according to the conjecture of the most experienced of the crew, was the south-west coast of Ireland. Whether this opinion were or were

not correct, our captain-mate acted upon it, and shaped the course a point or two to the southward. The channel chart was unrolled, the deep line rigged; but after several trials we could find no certain soundings: in order not to overrun our safe distance, we shortened sail at nightfall, and kept a good look out. Scarcely an eye in the ship, of those who were fit to keep the deck, was closed in sleep during two anxious nights.

A little before day-break, on the third morning, a dim light broke through the haze and fog, which the more experienced of the crew pronounced to be the Lizard, an opinion which was disputed by others. The daylight, however, showed us the loom of the land as far as the eye could reach on the leebow, and we therefore boldly carried on, being satisfied by our soundings that we were in the British Channel. We kept the north shore well on board, so as to be able to make a port in the event of any sudden danger, as our leak once more betrayed alarming symptoms of increase. The lead was out every half hour, and we were now in sight of the long-wished-for land. Hope beat high in every bosom, although the increase of water in the well gave us pangs which we could not dissemble, even while congratulating each other on our unexpected release from misery.

All hands now worked by turns at the pumps; even the poor invalids between decks, who had not strength to lend their aid during the voyage across the Atlantic, made a feeble but hearty effort to aid our exertions.

Next day we clearly saw, during the intervals of the fog, several well-known points of the coast of Devon. It was blowing remarkably fresh, notwithstanding which we carried whole Isail to drive the vessel along through the water, as our salvation depended on the speedy attainment of a port. Although our labour at the pumps was incessant, we could not free the vessel to two feet water. THIRTY INCHES was the average after all our toils!

Three of the oldest seamen, having been seen in earnest conversation on the forecastle, apart from the rest of the crew, it appeared to us abaft that they meditated some extraordinary measure. Before we could ascertain their wishes or intentions, Captain Hawkins, the senior officer on board, who disappeared for a minute or two, suddenly showed himself on deck armed with his sword drawn, a brace of pistols stuck in his handkerchief, with which he girded himself like a belt; and rushing forward most rashly, he charged these men with an intention of taking the ship into a French port, peremptorily ordering us as his junior officers to arm ourselves, and under his command to enforce the duty of the vessel.

This mad accusation drove the seamen into an almost open state of mutiny. Our united remonstrances to appease this maniac were in vain. At length, in conjunction with the three companions who had shared my toils during the voyage, and the feeble Williams, I positively denied his authority for my own part, and that of the four subaltern officers acting under my advice.

On "Long Jack" coming aft to take his turn at the helm, he repeated his accusation, protesting that he would stand by him, pistol in hand, to prevent him steering for the French coast. The helmsman made no reply to this bravado, but bestowed a look of contempt on the infuriated captain, which showed him how much he despised the silly threat.

That there was something extraordinary in contemplation by a portion of the crew was evident, but the impetuosity of this inconsiderate man put all chance of explanation out of our reach. Mean while, the water in the hold was gaining fast upon us. Although we had more than enough wind, and a cloud of sail, we found the ship going but five knots an hour by the log.

CHAPTER XL.

"As yet 'tis midnight deep: the weary clouds,
Slow-melting, mingle into solid gloom."

EVENING was closing fast, slight snow-showers had fallen during the afternoon, a thick fog hovered over the land, and daylight left us in this critical state. The pump-handles were never at rest for ten minutes during this long, long night; they were chiefly worked by the officers, the foreigners, and the negroes. The whole crew became sulky: even Bateman, when called to his watch at four o'clock, did not appear for twenty minutes; and shortly after his coming on deck there was an alarm of fire in his cabin! He had left the stump of his lighted candle, pressed with his thumb, against the thin bulkhead, and in its fall, from its own heat, it set fire to the bedclothes. Fortunately they had not been dry for the last six weeks, and a stifling smoke without flame was soon subdued; but it caused confusion, and increased ill-humour among all.

We caught occasional glimpses of the southern coast of the Wight as we passed that island in the early part of the morning, but the dense fog baffled all our attempts to make a harbour..