“Here he appeared to be a good deal upset; but he took a drink of water, and then he told me as follows: 

“’About twenty-three years ago I was a seaman on board of the “William and Caroline,” West Indiaman, bound to Jamaica.  We had two or three passengers on board, and the steward’s wife attended upon them.  She was a handsome, tall young woman; and when she and her husband came on board, they told me they had one child, which they had left at home.  Now Yarmouth, you see, is my native place, and, although I did not know her husband, I knew her family very well.  So we were very intimate, and used to talk about the people we knew, and so on.  I mention this in consequence of what occurred afterward.  We arrived very safe at Jamaica, and remained, as usual, some time at the island before the drogers brought round our cargo, and then we again sailed for England.

“’Well, we got clear of the islands, and were getting well north, when there came on a terrible gale of wind which dismasted us; and for three weeks we were rolling about gunnel under, for we were very heavily laden, and we lost our reckoning.  At last we found out that we had been blown down among the reefs to the southward of the Bahama Isles.  We had at one time rigged jury-masts, but unfortunately the gale had blown up again, and carried them also over the side; and we had no means of doing anything, for we had no more small spars or sails, and all our hopes were of falling in with some vessel which might assist us.

“’But we had no such good fortune; and one morning, when a heavy sea was running, we discovered that it was bearing us down upon a reef of rocks, from which there was no chance of escape.  We had no resource but to get the boats out, and take our chance in them.  The captain was very cool and collected; he ordered everything in which might be requisite; called up the men, and explained to them his intentions.  All the water and provisions were put into the launch, for the sea ran so high that the small boats could not carry them; and it was intended that all the boats should keep company till it moderated, and then each boat should have its own supply.  When all was ready, we were told off to our respective boats.  The steward and his wife were to be in the same boat with me, and I had put her carefully in the sternsheets, for I was her great friend.  Now the steward was called out by the captain to go for something which had been forgotten; and while he was away the ship was struck by a heavy sea, which occasioned such a breach over her that all was in confusion, and, to prevent the small boats from swamping, they were pushed off.  The launch still held on for the captain, who hastened in with the mate and the steward, for they were the only three left on board; and away we all went.  I mention this as the cause why the steward was separated (only for a time, as we supposed) from his wife.  We had not been clear of the ship more than five minutes before we found