well loaded, pushed off on the calm sea, and
lay to, watching us. Then the second mate was
ordered into the second boat, with a crew of
sailors; water and bags of biscuit were thrust
in; and then, well loaded with women and
children, and one or two of the men passengers,
that was carefully lowered down, unhooked, and
pushed off.

The other two boats were not swung over
the sides, but lay between the masts of the ship,
right in the middle of the deck, and were full of
stores and odd things put there to be out of the
way; but the captain and men left soon had
tackling fastened to the boat that was right in
front of the fire, and it was hauled up, swung
clear, and lowered down with a couple of men
in, and they rowed it back to the hinder part of
the ship, while we who had been launching it
had to make a regular dash through the flames,
which now extended nearly across the deck.
One man, however, did not dare come through,
but plunged overboard and swam after the boat
till he was took in.

"Now then," said the captain; and the rest
of the women were slung down.

I did not mean to go as long as I could help
the captain; and then half a dozen of the men
passengers were lowered down, and they were
just going to shove off, when I shouts out—

"Stop!" and the captain turns round angrily
to me; and I says, "No water!"

Sure enough they had none, and a little cask
that stood on the deck was slung down, and
they were going to shove off again, when I
heard a shriek as went through and through
me, and saw a bright glare; the man at the
rudder leaned over, while at the same moment
there was a roar and a rush of fearful light,
and the great mainmast blazing from top to
bottom, and covered with burning rope and
canvas, toppled over towards where the boat
lay, for the fire had been eating into it below
deck for long enough. It was all in a moment,
and like the flashing of some great sheet of
lightning, as in the midst of a wild and fearful
cry it fell right towards the boat.

II.

That was a fearful moment, that was, and we
held our breath with terror; and I—I could
not help it—I covered my face with my hands
and dared not look, till I heard a loud cheer,
and saw the boat safely floating within a very
few yards of the half-extinct mast which had
narrowly missed falling upon the little haven of
safety.

And now they were going to get the last boat
out, and the three others lay off at a little
distance, while above the hoarse orders of the
captain there was the crackling and roar of the
flames, now leaping up at a fearful rate. And
yet it was a splendid sight, in spite of the horror;
for every now and then pieces of the copper
wire rope used in the rigging regularly caught
fire, and burned with a most beautiful blue
light, brighter than in any firework I ever saw;
while now the foremast had taken fire, and the
flames were tearing along the rigging till the
ropes seemed illuminated with little beads and
tongues of fire. The heat grew awful, and every
now and then pieces of blazing rope, spars, and
blocks fell red-hot and glowing into the sea, to
send up little columns of hissing steam. The
whole of the centre of the ship was now on fire,
and the flames rose prodigiously, floating off,
and flashing amidst the clouds of smoke; while
far away, still lightly flitted and spun about the
golden flaky snow, eddying amongst the smoke,
and darting far on high, in the most beautiful
way imaginable.

I think I said before how the tremendous
heat caused a regular draught to set towards
the fire, so that as you were almost scorched
before, the wind came with quite a cold rush
behind; but then, how it made the flames roar
again, and burn more fiercely than ever! It
was a sickening sight; for every now and then
the cruel forky tongues seemed to keep lapping
at and threatening us, and then dancing and
licking everything up, as if in devilish joy at the
prospect of soon devouring us poor sinners.

It was a horrible sight, and though I didn't
show it, yet I could feel my heart sink every
time I was idle for a few moments, when I
went at it again like a savage. I didn't go
down on my knees to pray; but—I don't know
—I think I prayed earnestly in my heart then,
and though I would gladly have been with the
wife safe in the other boat, yet I couldn't feel
as it was suited with a fellow's duty to leave
such a man as that captain had showed himself
all in the lurch; so I says to myself:

"Be a man, too, Phil;" and I did try to,
anyhow.

All at once the flames seemed to veer round,
and began blowing towards us, while the position
of the boats was changed; and I couldn't
understand it, till I saw the captain run from
helping to get the last boat—the one as was on
the deck close to the mizenmast—over the
side; and then I found it was the man had left
the steering wheel, and had run up towards the
boat.

"Back!" I heard the captain say; "back,
or I'll fire!"

"Fire away, cap," says the man, sulkily;
"one may just as well die by fire one way as
another, and I won't stand there and be burnt."
And then the captain's hand—the one as held
the pistol—fell down by his side, and he looked
regularly done.

"What's up?" I says. "Can I do?" and I
followed the captain to the wheel, which he
turned so as to put the head of the ship right
once more; and as he did it, she just changed
round again; but while all this had been going
on, the mizen or third mast took fire, and now
was blazing away fiercely.

"Hold on here, my man," says the captain,
"and keep the wheel just as it is. That's
right; hold the spokes firm; and if her head
swings round, call to me to come and help
you."