ladies and children. I therefore proceeded to
the grand saloon, going through the dirty and
disgraceful passage connecting it with the
dining-salon. There, I found ladies and children
on sofas which had been lashed, and on
mattresses spread on the floor. I devoted
myself to the service of these ladies and children,
and tried to find food for them. Some poor
old ladies attracted me first by their patience
and helplessness. I hastened to serve them,
and they thanked me almost with tears in
their eyes. With the children I had made
friends on the first day; they laughed and
crowed when they saw me coming with a bowl
in each hand, filled with any miscellaneous
food I could collect in the larder, and balancing
myself like an acrobat. Nurses looked rather
disdainful at the miscellaneous food assembled
in my beggar's bowl, and their forks wavered
over it to pick out the best bits for themselves.

It was a fresh blow when we heard that the poor
cook had broken one of his legs in three places.
Our prospects looked gloomy in every respect.
The new rudder did not act; all our sails were
carried away; both paddles were disabled; nine
boats were gone, and the big ship was lying in
the trough of the sea, and rocking worse than ever.
The officers looked grave, but we all had
confidence in the captain; yet we saw a great deal
of disorder, and there was a whisper of mutiny.
One of the boatswains and some of the crew
were already in irons. The fine old gentleman
with the white hair, invited me to look into the
luggage-room, where he promised me a sight
I should not forget. I followed him, and
looked down into a hold about sixty feet
square. The port through which we
entered the ship had not been secured properly,
and the water rushed in. The luggage had
not been lashed, and, when the ship began
rolling, all the trunks, boxes, and chests were
dashed against each other, or against the sides
of the ship. Every box got broken open, and
those of wood were shattered to atoms, their
contents floating about in all directions. India
shawls, coats and trousers, silk and velvet ladies'
dresses, top-boots, jewel-boxes and dressing-
cases, bonnets and hats, all were entangled
and mashed together in sea-water. The water
looked like blood, and all the wood was dyed
red, for one gentleman had a large supply of
Magenta dye in his box. In a dark corner
I saw a large diamond, shining like a star,
and gold chains, bracelets, and other jewellery,
glittering here and there. Some sailors and
fore-cabin passengers descended into that place
of confusion, and helped themselves to such
things as pleased them. This kind of wrecking
afloat, was unpardonable, and it is needless to
say that the entrance to this place ought to have
been guarded. Some people succeeded in saving
their trunks, although everything was soaked.
My slave-dealing neighbour made a laundry of
his cabin and mine, and dried his summer and
winter clothing round one of the iron masts,
which served also as a funnel.

Everybody on deck looked anxiously around
for a sail, or a steamer, which might be able to
assist us; but in vain. We intended to return
to Queenstown, but it was impossible to turn
the ship. When this seemed to be unattainable,
an American engineer, Mr. Hamilton
E. Towle, from New Hampshire, suggested a
steering apparatus, and the captain placed all
the means to execute it at his disposition.
Evening came, and we were rolling still like
mad in the middle of this water desert.

"A sail! a sail!" A little brig had heard our
signs of distress, and came up to us gallantly.
On the paddle-box stood our captain, and a
burning blue light showed us the deck of the
brig, and on it her brave captain. I admired
that beautiful little vessel, and the boldness of
her crew, who ventured so close to the rolling
leviathan. Then we could hear the voices:

"Brig, ahoy!"

"Brig Magnet, from Halifax."

"Stay with us to-night."

"I will."

This sounded to me very much like the
chivalry of a mouse solemnly declaring to an
elephant in distress that it would never desert
him.

On Sunday morning the sea was somewhat
calm, and our steering apparatus being finished,
the ship's head was turned homeward. We offered
to take the Magnet in tow, but she declined.
We were going by the screw only, but moving
nine knots in an hour.

Next day we met the Persia. On our paddle-
box a board was held up, with the inscription,
"Our rudder is broken. Come to the leeside."
The Persia not being able to come up with us,
and not seeing the board, turned round and
went on to America.

The passengers, seeing the disorder on board,
and that the captain had his hands full with the
management of the ship, assembled one evening
in the dining saloon, and formed a committee of
five for the protection of their interests, besides
a committee of safety, twenty in number, for
protection against plunder: of whom three were
always on guard. This institution worked well.

In my opinion, few of the oflicers on board
did their duty properly, with the exception of
our doctor, who was indefatigable. About thirty
fractures occurred; one lady broke her arm in
her own cabin. Although offered payment for
his services, the doctor refused. All the
passengers were grateful to him and anxious to
thank him, and hearing that he had broken his
watch during the storm, we presented him with
a handsome gold watch after our arrival in
Queenstown.

On Tuesday, in the morning, we arrived off
Cork harbour. Captain Seymour, the mayor of
Queenstown and agent of one of the packet
lines, on seeing our signals, came in his own
steamer to meet us, together with some tugs.
Some of the passengers wanted to go on shore
in one of the tugs. Captain Walker resisted
this proposal at first; but was at last compelled
to acquiesce in it. A gentleman from New
York, who had a family of nine on board,