beyond, and to the right of a pointed rock, just flush or even with the water, which had escaped our notice, and which none suspected but the American captain (for these rocks do not show breakers every minute, if they did they would be easily avoided).  On this we should most certainly have been dashed to pieces, had not the danger been seen and avoided by the sudden and skilful motion of the helm; one moment more, and one foot nearer, and we were gone.

“Merciful God!” said I, “to what fate am I reserved at last?  How can I be sufficiently thankful for so much goodness?”

I thanked the American for his attention—­told my men how much we were indebted to him, and how amply he had repaid our kindness in taking him off the wreck.

“Ah, lieutenant,” said the poor man, “it is a small turn I’ve done you for the kindness you have shown to me.”

The water was very deep, the rocks being steep; so, we lowered our sail, and getting our oars out, pulled in to look for a landing.  At the farther end of the cove, we discovered the wreck of a vessel lying on the beach.  She was broken in two, and appeared to be copper-bottomed.  This increased the eagerness of the men to land; we rowed close to the shore, but found that the boat would be dashed to pieces if we attempted it.  The midshipman proposed that one of us should swim on shore, and, by ascending a hill, discover a place to lay the boat in.  This I agreed to; and the quarter-master immediately threw off his clothes.  I made a lead-line fast to him under his arms, that we might pull him in if we found him exhausted.  He went over the surf with great ease, until he came to the breakers on the beach, through which he could not force his way; for the moment he touched the ground with his foot, the recoil of the sea, and what is called by sailors the undertow, carried him back again, and left him in the rear of the last wave.

Three times the brave fellow made the attempt, and with the same result.  At last he sunk, and we pulled him in very nearly dead.  We, however, restored him by care and attention, and he went again to his usual duty.  The midshipman now proposed that he should try to swim through the surf without the line, for that alone had impeded the progress of the quarter-master; this was true, but I would not allow him to run the risk, and we pulled along shore, until we came to a rock on which the surf beat very high, and which we avoided in consequence.  This rock we discovered to be detached from the main; and within it, to our great joy, we saw smooth water; we pulled in, and succeeded in landing without much difficulty, and having secured our boat to a grapnel, and left two trusty men in charge of her, I proceeded with the rest to explore the cove; our attention was naturally first directed to the wreck which we had passed in the boat, and, after a quarter of an hour’s scrambling over huge fragments of broken rocks, which had been detached from the sides of the hill, and encumbered the beach, we arrived at the spot.