had been past, and that this would be nothing like the first:  but when the master himself came by me, as I said just now, and said we should be all lost, I was dreadfully frighted:  I got up but of my cabin, and looked out; but such a dismal sight I never saw; the sea went mountains high, and broke upon us every three or four minutes:  when I could look about, I could see nothing but distress around us:  two ships that rid near us, we found, had cut their masts by the board, being deep laden; and our men cried out, that a ship which rid about a mile a-head of us was foundered.  Two more ships being driven from their anchors, were run out of the roads to sea, at all adventures, and that with not a mast standing.  The light ships-fared the best, as not so much labouring in the sea; but two or three of them drove, and came close by us, running away with only their spritsail out before the wind.

Towards evening the mate and boatswain begged the master of our ship to let them cut away the fore-mast, which he was very unwilling to do:  but the boatswain protesting to him, that if he did not, the ship would founder, he consented; and when they had cut away the-fore-mast, the main-mast stood so loose, and shook the ship so much, they were obliged to cut her away also, and make a clear deck.

Any one may judge what a condition I must be in at all this, who was but a young sailor, and who had been in such a fright before at but a little.  But if I can express at this distance the thoughts that I had about me at that time, I was in tenfold more horror of mind upon account of my former convictions, and the having returned from them to the resolutions I had wickedly taken at first, than I was at death itself; and these, added to the terror of the storm, put me in such a condition, that I can by no words describe it.  But the worst was not come yet; the storm continued with such fury, that the seamen themselves acknowledged they had never known a worse.  We had a good ship, but she was deep laden, and wallowed in the sea, that the seamen every now and then cried out, she would founder.  It was my advantage in one respect, that I did not know what they meant by founder, till I inquired.  However, the storm was so violent, that I saw what is not often seen, the master, the boatswain, and some others more sensible than the rest, at their prayers, and expecting every moment when the ship would go to the bottom.  In the middle of the night, and under all the rest of our distresses, one of the men that had been down on purpose to see, cried out, we had sprung a leak; another said, there was four foot water in the hold.  Then all hands were called to the pump.  At that very word my heart, as I thought, died within me, and I fell backwards upon the side of my bed where I sat, into the cabin.  However, the men roused me, and told me, that I, that was able to do nothing before, was as well able to pump as another; at which I stirred up, and went to the pump and worked very