After this, we experienced, with little intermission, most dreadful
weather for two weeks, until at length we were nearly torn in pieces, and
the Captain was about abandoning his ground, and returning to Port Royal,
when it came on to blow with redoubled violence. We struggled against it
for twelve hours, but were finally obliged to heave--to, the sea all the
while running tremendously high.
About noon on the day I speak of, the weather had begun to look a little
better, but the sea had if any thing increased. I had just come on deck,
when Mr Splinter sung out--"Look out for that sea, quartermaster!--Mind
your starboard helm!--Ease her, man--ease her!"
On it came, rolling as high as the foreyard, and tumbled in over the
bows, green, clear, and unbroken. It filled the deep waist of the Torch
in an instant, and as I rose half smothered in the midst of a jumble of
men, pigs, hencoops, and spare spars, I had nearly lost an eye by a
floating boarding--pike that was lanced at me by the jauglet of the water.
As for the boats on the booms, they had all gone to sea separately, and
were bobbing at us in a squadron to leeward, the launch acting as
commodore, with a crew of a dozen sheep, whose bleating as she rose on the
crest of a wave came back upon us, faintly blending with the hoarse
roaring of the storm, and seeming to cry, "No more mutton for you, my
boys!"
At length the lee ports were forced out--the pumps promptly rigged and
manned--buckets slung and at work down the hatchways; and although we had
narrowly escaped being swamped, and it continued to blow hard, with a
heavy sea, the men, confident in the qualities of the ship, worked with
glee, shaking their feathers, and quizzing each other.
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