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

SO LOSS OF THE SUSSEX
put a compass, a waggoner, some arms and
powder, into the pinnace, and also some car¬
penter’s tools, and then went to prayers all
that night. A heavy sea continued to break
on the after-part of the ship, which soon stove
in all abaft, so that the quarter-deck fell into
the steerage. At six in the morning, having
resolved to lower the pinnace, nine men got
into her; but the rest determined to take
their chance in the ship, thinking there was
no prospect of saving their lives in the pin¬
nace, because the sea ran so high. In lower¬
ing the pinnace, the falls being reefed through
the ring, the after-tackle got foul, just as she
took the water, so that they could only get
the fore-tackle unhooked. In sending her
off the ship, Dean got his hand bruised.
There was still a great sea running, whence
the pinnace parted on being struck with the
second wave, and eight men were washed out;
one of them had been washed over by the
first wave, but he got safe on board. Three
were drowned, however; the other five, after
swimming some time, were drove into shoal
water.
The fore part of the pinnace being after¬
wards observed floating, one of the men swam