Accidents > Dangers of the deep, or, Narratives of shipwreck and adventure at sea

iVRECK AND ESCAPE
watch and prayed, and then laid ourselves
down to rest, the ship, in full sail, struck on
a rock with a shock so great that it awakened
the soundest sleeper. Though I was ignorant
of what had happened, the mariners better
aware of the danger, loudly cried, ‘ Mercy!
Mercy! Mercy!’ I hastened out of my ca¬
bin, and, coming on deck, met the master of
our own vessel, who, while tears streamed
down his cheeks, desired me to pray for them,
for we should certainly perish. I could not
believe the truth of what he said ; so falling
on my knees, like a condemned person await¬
ing the stroke of the executioner, I began to
pray. But, after having prayed some time,
under perfect resignation to death, I won¬
dered that the waves did not overwhelm us. It
had pleased God that the ship ran herself so
fast between two ledges of rock with her bow
over another, that she stood fixed as firm as
the rock itself. I immediately rose and pulled
off my coat, designing to throw myself into
the sea and swim ashore; but the height of
the waves breaking against the rocks deterred
me. The stern of the vessel was soon beat in
by the sea, which compelled us to retreat to¬
wards the bow, when Matthew Bird, the same