DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70266#0131
LOSS OF THE DUKE OF CUMUERLAND PACKET.
105)
serve our hold against the force of the waves, every one of
which struck and nearly drowned us. The break of day
discovered to us all the horrors of our situation: the vessel
was lying upon large rocks, at the foot of a craggy, over-
hanging precipice, twice as high as the ship’s main mast;
the mizen-mast, which, although cut away, still hung in a
diagonal direction, supported by some ropes, reached within
about four fathoms of the rock ; the land forming a sort of
bay around us, also approached us a-head, and the extremity
of the jib-boom was not far from it; we could plainly dis-
cern many ships on shore in various parts ot the harbour,
and the wind and rain beat upon us with unabated violence;
the ship lay a miserable wreck; one wave had carried away
her stern boat, unshipped her rudder, and washed overboard
her quarter-boards, binnacle, and round-house; her fore and
mlzen-masts lay alongside, supported by small ropes, and
the ship had bilged her larboard side. Our first thoughts,
after the dawn appeared, were naturally directed to the pos-
sibility of saving our lives, and we all agreed, that the only
hopes of doing sowas by means of the mizen-mast; we im-
mediately got the top-mast and top-gallant-masts launched
out on it, which reached -within a few feet of the rock, but
the part of the precipice wdnch it approached was so perpen-
dicular, as to afford us but faint hopes of relief, unless it
might be procured by means of some bushes which grew on
the brow of the rock: a sailor soon made trial of it; but to
our great mortification we saw him heave a rope, on the end
of which was formed a noose, and which catching hold of
some of the largest bushes, brought them away in an instant,
and discovered to us that the roots of the shrubs were fast-
ened to nothing but a much decayed weather-beaten rock,
incapable of affording them support sufficient to withstand
the smallest weight. Another seaman, who seemed from
despair to have imbibed an extraordinary degree of courage,
followed the first man out on the mast, with the intention
of throwing himself from the end upon the mercy of the
105)
serve our hold against the force of the waves, every one of
which struck and nearly drowned us. The break of day
discovered to us all the horrors of our situation: the vessel
was lying upon large rocks, at the foot of a craggy, over-
hanging precipice, twice as high as the ship’s main mast;
the mizen-mast, which, although cut away, still hung in a
diagonal direction, supported by some ropes, reached within
about four fathoms of the rock ; the land forming a sort of
bay around us, also approached us a-head, and the extremity
of the jib-boom was not far from it; we could plainly dis-
cern many ships on shore in various parts ot the harbour,
and the wind and rain beat upon us with unabated violence;
the ship lay a miserable wreck; one wave had carried away
her stern boat, unshipped her rudder, and washed overboard
her quarter-boards, binnacle, and round-house; her fore and
mlzen-masts lay alongside, supported by small ropes, and
the ship had bilged her larboard side. Our first thoughts,
after the dawn appeared, were naturally directed to the pos-
sibility of saving our lives, and we all agreed, that the only
hopes of doing sowas by means of the mizen-mast; we im-
mediately got the top-mast and top-gallant-masts launched
out on it, which reached -within a few feet of the rock, but
the part of the precipice wdnch it approached was so perpen-
dicular, as to afford us but faint hopes of relief, unless it
might be procured by means of some bushes which grew on
the brow of the rock: a sailor soon made trial of it; but to
our great mortification we saw him heave a rope, on the end
of which was formed a noose, and which catching hold of
some of the largest bushes, brought them away in an instant,
and discovered to us that the roots of the shrubs were fast-
ened to nothing but a much decayed weather-beaten rock,
incapable of affording them support sufficient to withstand
the smallest weight. Another seaman, who seemed from
despair to have imbibed an extraordinary degree of courage,
followed the first man out on the mast, with the intention
of throwing himself from the end upon the mercy of the