387

A HURRICANE.

A few years later, O'Brien was captain of the brig Rattlesnake, with Peter Simple as his first lieutenant. They were watching the Island of Martinique, then, as now, belonging to the French. Their duty was to capture any vessel that put out from the enemy's coast.

IN three weeks we were again ready for sea, and the admiral ordered us to our old station off Martinique. We had cruised about a fortnight off St. Pierre's, when one evening, when about six miles off shore, we observed two vessels rounding Negro Point, close in-shore. It was quite calm, and the boats were towing a-head.

"It will be dark in half-an-hour, Peter," said O'Brien, "and I think we might get them before they anchor, or if they do anchor, it will be well outside. What do you think?”

I replied that I thought it very possible, and wished he would permit me to make the attempt, as, if I found there was much risk, I would return.

"I know that I can trust you, Peter," replied O'Brien, "and it's a great pleasure to know that you have an officer you can trust; but hav'n't I brought you up myself, and made a man of you, as I promised I would, when you were a little spalpeen, with a sniffling nose, and legs in the shape of two carrots ? So hoist out the launch, and get the boats ready-the sooner the better. What a hot day this has been-not a cat's paw on the water, and the sky all of a mist. Only look at the sun, how he goes down, puffed out to three times his size, as if he were in a terrible passion. I suspect we shall have the land breeze off strong."

In half-an-hour I shoved off with the boats. It was now quite dark, and I pulled towards the harbour of St. Pierre. The heat was excessive and unaccountable; not the slightest breath of wind moved in the heavens, or below; no clouds to be seen, and the stars were obscured by a sort of mist: there appeared a total stagnation in the elements. The men in the boats pulled off their jackets, for after a few moments'

pulling, they could bear them no longer. As we pulled in, the atmosphere became more opaque, and the darkness more intense. We supposed ourselves to be at the mouth of the harbour, but could see nothing, not three yards a-head of the boat. Swinburne, the cockswain, who always went with me, was steering the boat, and I observed to him the unusual appearance of the night.

"I've been watching it, sir," replied Swinburne, "and I tell you, Mr. Simple, that if we only knew how to find the brig, that I would advise you to get on board of her immediately. She'll want all her hands this night, or I'm

much mistaken."

"Why do you say so?" replied I.

"Because I think, nay, I may say that I'm sartain, we'll have a hurricane afore morning. It's not the first time I've cruised in these latitudes. I recollect in '94"Swinburne, I believe that you

But I interrupted him.

are right. At all events I'll turn back; perhaps we may reach the brig before it comes on. She carries a light, and we can find her out." I then turned the boat round, and steered, as near as I could guess, for where the brig was lying. But we had not pulled out more than two minutes, before a low moaning was heard in the atmosphere-now here, now there-and we appeared to be pulling through solid darkness, if I may use the expression. Swinburne looked around him, and pointed out on the starboard bow. "It's a coming, Mr. Simple, sure enough; many's the living being that will not rise on his legs to-morrow. See, sir."

I looked, and dark as it was, it appeared as if a sort of black wall was sweeping along the water right towards us. The moaning gradually increased to a stunning roar, and then at once it broke upon us with a noise to which no thunder can bear a comparison. The sea was perfectly level, but boiling, and covered with a white foam, so that we appeared in the night to be floating on milk. The oars were caught by the wind with such force, that the men were

dashed forward under the thwarts, many of them severely hurt. Fortunately, we pulled with tholes and pins; or the gunwales and planks of the boat would have been wrenched off, and we should have foundered. The wind soon caught

the boat on her broadside, and, had there been the least sea, would have inevitably thrown her over; but Swinburne put the helm down, and she fell off before the hurricane, darting through the boiling water at the rate of ten miles an hour. All hands were aghast; they had recovered their seats, but were obliged to relinquish them, and sit down at the bottom, holding on by the thwarts. The terrific roaring of the hurricane prevented any communication, except by gesture. The other boats had disappeared; lighter than ours, they had flown away faster before the sweeping element; but we had not been a minute before the wind before the sea rose in a most unaccountable manner-it appeared to be by magic.

Of all the horrors that ever I witnessed, nothing could be compared to the scene of this night. We could see nothing, and heard only the wind, before which we were darting like an arrow, to where we knew not, unless it was to certain death. Swinburne steered the boat, every now and then looking back as the waves increased. In a few minutes we were in a heavy swell, that at one minute bore us all aloft, and at the next almost sheltered us from the hurricane: and now the atmosphere was charged with showers of spray, the wind cutting off the summits of the waves, as if with a knife, and carrying them along with it, as it were, in its arms.

The boat was filling with water, and appeared to settle down fast. The men baled with their hats in silence, when a large wave culminated over the stern, filling us up to our thwarts. The next moment we all received a shock so violent that we were jerked from our seats. Swinburne was thrown over my head. Every timber of the boat separated at once, and she appeared to crumble from under us, leaving us floating on the raging waters. We all struck out for our lives, but with little hope of preserving them; but the next wave washed us on the rocks, against which

the boat had already been hurled.

That wave gave life

to some, and death to others. Me, in Heaven's mercy, it preserved: I was thrown so high up, that I merely scraped against the top of the rock, breaking two of my ribs. Swinburne, and eight more, escaped with me, but not unhurt; two had their legs broken, three had broken arms, and the others were more or less contused. Swinburne miraculously received no injury. eighteen in the boat, of which ten escaped: the others were hurled up at our feet; and the next morning we found them dreadfully mangled. One or two had their skulls literally shattered to pieces against the rocks.

We had been

I felt that I was saved, and was grateful; but still the hurricane howled-still the waves were washing over us. I crawled farther up on the beach, and found Swinburne sitting down with his eyes directed seaward. He knew me, took my hand, squeezed it, and then held it in his. For some moments we remained in this position, when the waves, which every moment increased in volume, washed up to us, and obliged us to crawl further up. I then looked around me the hurricane continued in its fury, but the atmosphere was not so dark. I could trace for some distance the line of the harbour, from the ridge of foam upon the shore and, for the first time, I thought of O'Brien and the brig. I put my mouth close to Swinburne's ear, and cried out, "O'Brien !" Swinburne shook his head, and looked up again at the offing. I thought whether there was any chance of the brig's escape. She was certainly six, if not seven miles off, and the hurricane was not direct on the shore. She might have a drift of ten miles, perhaps; but what was that against such tremendous power? I prayed for those on board of the brig, and returned thanks for my own preservation. I was, or should soon be, a prisoner, no doubt; but what was that? I thought of Celeste, and felt almost happy.

:

In about three hours the force of the wind subsided. It still blew a heavy gale; but the sky cleared up, the

stars again twinkled in the heavens, and we could see to a considerable distance.

"It's breaking now, sir," said Swinburne at last, "satisfied with the injury it has done-and that's no little. This is worse than '94."

"Now I'd give all my pay and prize-money, if it were only daylight, and I could know the fate of the poor Rattlesnake. What do you think, Swinburne ?"

"All depends upon whether they were taken unprepared, sir. Captain O'Brien is as good a seaman as ever trod a plank; but he has never been in a hurricane, and may not have known the signs and warnings which God in His mercy has vouchsafed to us, Your flush vessels fill easily -but we must hope for the best."

Most anxiously did we look out for the day, which appeared to us as if it never would break. At last the dawn appeared, and we stretched our eyes to every part of the offing as it was lighted up; but we could not see the brig. The sun rose, and all was bright and clear; but we looked not around us, our eyes were directed to where we had left the brig. The sea was still running high, but the wind abated fast.

"Thank God!" ejaculated Swinburne, when he had directed his eyes along the coast; "she is above water, at all events!"-and, looking in the direction where he pointed, I perceived the brig within two miles of the shore, dismantled, and tossing in the waves.

"I see her," replied I, catching my breath with joy; "but-still-I think she must go on shore."

"All depends upon whether she can get a little bit o sail up to weather the point," replied Swinburne ; "and depend upon it, Captain O'Brien knows that as well as we do."

We were now joined by the other men who were saved. We all shook hands. They pointed out to me the bodies of our shipmates who had perished. I directed them to haul them further up, and put them all together; and