SERIOUS DANGER OF LOSING THE BOATS.

Mr. Walker, nothing daunted by the conduct of the men, having had his own boat hauled up, again swam off to us, and for the next hour or two we kept the other one not more than half full; but the gale, which had been gradually increasing, now became a perfect hurricane, and it was evident that this boat must also go ashore.  We imagined that Mr. Walker’s must be stove in several places; and, as to have been left without a boat would have been certain destruction to us, I swam ashore to have the party ready to try and save mine by hauling her over the reef the instant she grounded.

I arrived there with a few cuts and bruises, and found the men on shore in a most miserable state; many of them were perfectly appalled by the hurricane, never having seen anything of the kind before, and were lying under the lee of the bow of Mr. Walker’s boat, which, although he had drawn it up high and dry upon the sandhills, far above the usual high-water mark, was again more than half full of water and seaweed from the waves every now and then breaking over her stern.  It was with great difficulty I roused the men and got them to clear out the seaweed, which lightened her somewhat; we then hauled her up a little at a favourable opportunity, and advanced her so far that we rather gained upon the water by baling, and thus, by degrees, got her quite on land.  But as the storm continued the waves still continued to encroach upon the shore, and we were obliged to repeat this operation of hauling up three successive times in the night, which was one of the most fearful I have ever passed.  I lay drenched through, my wet shirt sticking close to me and my blanket soaked with water, for I could not find my clothes again after I came ashore.  Whenever a flash of lightning broke I looked if the boat was drifting in, and there I saw it still dancing about upon the waves, whilst the elements were so mighty in their power that I felt shrunk up to nothing, and tremulous in my own insignificance.

The grey dawn stole on and the boat gradually became visible; she had drifted somewhat nearer shore, but there still were the three figures discernible in her, Ruston working away at the steer-oar, and Mr. Smith and Mr. Walker alternately baling.  The storm now appeared to lull a little and in a few minutes (about half-past five A.M.) it suddenly dropped.  The men now looked out again and I could hear Ruston saying, “I believe we are now safe, Sir;” and I immediately ordered that two men should go off and relieve Mr. Smith and Mr. Walker.  They evidently feared to make the attempt and said they could not swim, which was true as far as some of them were concerned.  I then ordered successively three men who I knew could swim to take advantage of the lull and gain the boat:  they all attempted it, but before they got clear of the reef their hearts failed them, and they declared they could not contend with the waves.