“Prepare for the worst, sir—­we have sprung a leak!”

“Heavens! where?”

“Right aft the second row of logs.”

“Nothing but a miracle can save us!  Don’t let the men know, or there will be a panic and mutiny!  Lay her in shore and stand by to jump with the stern-line the moment she touches.  Gentlemen, I must look to you to second my endeavors in this hour of peril.  You have hats—­go forward and bail for your lives!”

Down swept another mighty blast of wind, clothed in spray and thick darkness.  At such a moment as this, came from away forward that most appalling of all cries that are ever heard at sea: 

“Man overboard!”

The captain shouted: 

“Hard a-port!  Never mind the man!  Let him climb aboard or wade ashore!”

Another cry came down the wind: 

“Breakers ahead!”

“Where away?”

“Not a log’s length off her port fore-foot!”

We had groped our slippery way forward, and were now bailing with the frenzy of despair, when we heard the mate’s terrified cry, from far aft: 

“Stop that dashed bailing, or we shall be aground!”

But this was immediately followed by the glad shout: 

“Land aboard the starboard transom!”

“Saved!” cried the captain.  “Jump ashore and take a turn around a tree and pass the bight aboard!”

The next moment we were all on shore weeping and embracing for joy, while the rain poured down in torrents.  The captain said he had been a mariner for forty years on the Neckar, and in that time had seen storms to make a man’s cheek blanch and his pulses stop, but he had never, never seen a storm that even approached this one.  How familiar that sounded!  For I have been at sea a good deal and have heard that remark from captains with a frequency accordingly.

We framed in our minds the usual resolution of thanks and admiration and gratitude, and took the first opportunity to vote it, and put it in writing and present it to the captain, with the customary speech.  We tramped through the darkness and the drenching summer rain full three miles, and reached “The Naturalist Tavern” in the village of Hirschhorn just an hour before midnight, almost exhausted from hardship, fatigue, and terror.  I can never forget that night.

The landlord was rich, and therefore could afford to be crusty and disobliging; he did not at all like being turned out of his warm bed to open his house for us.  But no matter, his household got up and cooked a quick supper for us, and we brewed a hot punch for ourselves, to keep off consumption.  After supper and punch we had an hour’s soothing smoke while we fought the naval battle over again and voted the resolutions; then we retired to exceedingly neat and pretty chambers upstairs that had clean, comfortable beds in them with heirloom pillowcases most elaborately and tastefully embroidered by hand.