Evidently a storm was brewing, so I hauled my saucy little “Yellow Boy” high above high-water line, and made everything snug before I went indoors just after darkness had fallen all around.  I felt uncomfortable somehow, but could not tell why; but when the time for bed came, and the wind was howling round the house as if it meant to cast it bodily into the sea, I did not for some reason care to turn in; so replenishing my lamp I sat down to read, but the wind shook the casements so roughly that I had to give it up.  About midnight, although it was late in the autumn, a flash of lightning lit up the room and startled me; in a few seconds the thunder began to roll, but a long way off.

I sat waiting for another flash, and presently it came, this time with the thunder much nearer.  A little while and another more vivid flash, with the thunder close to its heels, upon which I started up on the impulse of the moment and donned my oilskin suit and sou’wester and sallied out into the night; why I knew not.  At first the night was pitch dark, but a flash of brilliant lightning seemed to light up the whole island, while at the same time came a crash of thunder, such as I hope never to hear the like of again.  It was as if the whole of the granite island had been shivered to atoms by some awful volcanic crash; in fact, I thought it was an earthquake.  It only lasted a few seconds, but it seemed to literally paralyze me; so much so, that I thought I should have fallen.  Other flashes succeeded, one of them striking a granite block, which it shivered to pieces, although it weighed many tons, and in the shock appeared itself to be broken; that is, it seemed like the first stroke of a smith’s hammer upon a red hot piece of iron, when the sparks fly off in every direction.  I dare not go along that path, although it was now probably the safest; but as I went towards the beach I could see the lightning run among the wet rocks like phosphorus.

As I stood by the watch-house I fancied I could detect human voices crying for aid, but put it down to my imagination, till I saw, to my horror, not a hundred yards from the shore, a French Chasse-mare, or fishing boat, driving straight for the rocks.  I shouted, but the noise of the breaking sea rendered it inaudible five yards off against such a wind.  Two of her three masts were gone, and by the next flash I could distinguish several men crouching by the bulwarks, and one at the tiller.  Then came a sudden lurch and a dead stop, a tremendous sea crashed on deck, and I knew she had struck the rocks on the beach not fifty yards from where I stood.

Heaven help them, for no earthly power could.  I was helpless to render the slightest assistance.  I could only pray, and that I did fervently.  Doubtless the men would jump into the sea, with the very remote chance of being thrown ashore alive, but that was very improbable.