I went on deck and reported what had happened to the second
mate. All he said was "My God!" and instantly ran below to satisfy
himself that there was no further danger. I can never recall that
little passage of my life without a shudder. There were a hundred and
ninety-five souls of us aboard, and had I managed to set the ship on
fire that night the doom of every living creature would have been
assured, seeing that no boat could have lived an instant in such a sea
as was then running.
In a very different climate from that of Cape Horn I came very near to
meeting with an extremely ugly end. It was a little business entirely
out of the routine of the ordinary ocean dangers, but the memory of it
sends a thrill through me to this hour, though it is much past twenty
years ago since it happened. I was making my second voyage aboard a
small full-rigged ship that had been hired by the Government for the
conveyance of troops to the East Indies. I was the only midshipman;
the other youngsters consisted of five apprentices. We occupied a
deck-house a little forward of the main-hatch. This house was divided
by a fore and aft bulkhead; the apprentices lived in the port
compartment, the third and fourth mates and myself slung our hammocks
on the starboard side.
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