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

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WRECK OP THE
gazing towards the vessel, to make out how
she was steering. Some said she was a
schooner, others a brig. We got another sig¬
nal raised on two oars lashed together. At
length she hauled round the east point of the
reef, some six or eight miles distant, and bore
right up towards us along the reef, keeping
about two miles outside. When there could be
no doubt as to her intentions, we felt that the
sudden and unexpected prospects of a speedy
deliverance were almost too much for us.
Only then did our hearts seem to soften, and
feel what we had gone through. All knelt
down and joined together most fervently in
thanking Almighty God for our preservation :
after which, each might be seen to grasp their
friends by the hand, and shake it, with some¬
thing like a smile at last upon the lips, al¬
though the heart was too full for anything to
be said. As the brig stood towards us about
noon, our claret was opened, and a double al¬
lowance (two tottlefuls) was dealt round to
each man. By one o’clock p.m., it was abreast
of us, about four miles outside the surf; she
stopped, and a small boat, which we had ob¬
served towing astern, set sail towards us. In
less than an hour she had neared the surf,