»7^ l
A U G U S T .
Sunday 10.
C H A P T E R II.
Lafs, o f the A ntelope, and the immediate Diftrejjes arifmg
from the—Accident.
r p H E ' wind having freshened after .midnight, rliq Iky
became overqaft, with much lightning,, thunder, and
rain. Mr. Bengeb., the chief mate, having the watchh^dU
deck, had lowered the top-fails, and waygoing to reef ,th6m
with'the people upon^duty; judging’from thunder' that
the weather-would break and clear Up, and, only prove
a Right fquall, he did not think it neceffary to calf the
hands out, or acquaint the Captain,-who had orfly'quitted
the deck at twelve o’clock. The people being' uppn the
yards reefing the fails, the man who was on !1jjnfe rlaok-out
called Breakers / but To Ihort was. the notice, that the call
o l Breakers had fcarce reached the officer upon- deck before
the ffiip ftruck. The horror and difmay this unhappy
event threw every body into was dreadful ; the Captainy
and all thofe who were below in their beds, fprang upon
deck in air inftant, anxious to knoW the caufe of this
hidden Ihock to the ffiip, and the confufion above; a moment
convinced them of their diftrefled fituation; the
breakers
breakers'alorig-fide, through which the Tock-s made their appearance,
prefeiited the, molt dfeadful# fcene, and left no
fe fn fitf*dciu&& ThelMffiia^itig.h '.fie^> hr lefe than an
hour filled'with water as1 high a&rhfe lower deck hatchways;
duringtrefhehdoUs interval, the people thronged found
the C&pfe£M, and “tathtefflyrequefted to be'idiredled. what to
dol'ffie^elMfl'g-hfin tp ghm orders and ffi'eybwould' immediately
' execute'. thfe'fn. Orders“ were in 'cOnfeqUehoe, m-
M4tlfWve‘h' tQ:'>fee<irfe'ithe gunpowder, arffhmhdtiona,' arid
fm-all arms, and that'‘the bread, amdiff&sh^th^ provifioft
a^;Would fpoil by wet, ffiould be brought, upon, deck .and
'IbffitP' P|pBP|| from %H*e jrairf •;1 ‘.white- others
' we're dire<^efd?td cut 'away-the mtebuHKikft, thfermain and
ffOfefdp-triaftj arid lower yafds) to eafe'.the ffiip and prevent
lifer Overfettirig, Of Which tfeey thought there Was feme
hazard; ted that fe’Vfery-thing ffiould be Rone t© preferve
her as long as poffible (the fails having all been clewed up
as foon as the ffiip ftruck). The boats Were hoifted out, and
filled with provifion and water, together'with a compafs
in each, fome final! arms, and ammunition ; and two men
were placed in each boat, with directions to keep them under
the lee o f the ffiip, and be careful they were not ftaved, and
to be ready to receive their ffiip-mates in cafe the veffel
ffiould break to pieces by the daffiing o f the waves-and the
violence o f the wind, it then blowing a ftorm. Every
thing that could be thought expedient in fo diftrefsful and
i: G % I ■ | trying
AU G U S T.