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

382 BURNING OP THE
The scene of horror that now presented it¬
self, baffles all description—
“ Then rose from sea to sky the wild farewell.
Then shriek’d the timid, and stood still the brave.”
The upper deck was covered with between
six and seven hundred human persons, many
of whom, from previous sea-sickness, were
forced on the first alarm to flee from below
in a state of absolute nakedness, and were
now running about in quest of husbands,
children, or parents. While some were stand¬
ing in silent resignation, or in stupid insen¬
sibility to their impending fate, others were
yielding themselves up to the most frantic
despair. Some on their knees were earnestly
imploring, with significant gesticulations and
in noisy supplications, the mercy of Him
whose arm they exclaimed, was at length
outstretched to smite them; others were to
be seen hastily crossing themselves, and per¬
forming the various external acts required by
their peculiar persuasion, while a number of
the older and more stout hearted soldiers and
sailors sullenly took their seats directly over
the magazine, hoping, as they stated, that by
means of the explosion, which they every in¬
stant expected, a speedier termination might