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Updated: June 19, 2025
We kept the helm a-starboard, and steered to a spot where there appeared to be less surf; but it was a fearful choice of evils. In two or three minutes the ship struck; it must have been on a rock, for she trembled throughout, and the foremast went by the board. All hands had run aft, knowing what must occur.
She knew that all Billy's yarns began at eight bells. "Well, I think it were, mum, but as I was saying " "Flash again," said the skipper, suddenly interrupting the harangue, and as the blue light flashed we saw right ahead of us the wanderer we sought; but she was bearing down upon us, and there was fear in the skipper's voice when he roared "For God's sake, hard a-starboard!"
Had I, indeed, ever seriously intended to leave him, the conduct of poor Mungo would have awakened me to a sense of my duty. I ordered Thompson, who was steering the boat, to put the helm a-starboard, and lay her alongside again.
Look out, sir I lay hold on anything you can put your hand upon. Hard a-starboard with your helm! Look out there, for'ard!" Louder and louder grew the sound until it became absolutely deafening, and then with an awful overwhelming rush the gale burst upon us.
This he thought an ample justification for departing from his instructions, and he instantly issued an order to put the helm hard a-starboard, so as to bring the vessel up to the wind, on the contrary tack. Unfortunately, as the result proved, it now became his imperative duty to report to Captain Crutchely what he had done.
The helm was instantly put hard a-port, and immediately after the order was given "hard a-starboard," for it was discovered that the sound of breakers came from both sides of the vessel. They were, obviously, either running in a narrow strait between two islands, or into a bay. In the first case the danger was imminent, in the second case, destruction was almost inevitable.
"Very well," said Ned; "rouse it up to the bows smartly, cat it, and then range along your cable all ready for letting go again if need be. Flatten in your larboard jib-sheets for'ard; man your larboard fore- braces and brace the headyards sharp up. Hard a-starboard with your helm, Williams she has stern-way upon her. And you Rogers, away aloft and keep a sharp look-out for sunken rocks.
He returned to the upper deck, on his way giving orders to the engineer to stop the engine, the wind and the headway of the boat increasing the fierceness of the flames and driving them aft. The engineer replied, that in consequence of the flames he could not reach the engine. The steersman was instantly directed to put the helm hard a-starboard.
At that instant O'Gorman's voice shouted an order to "Stand by!" immediately followed by a command to the helmsman to "Hard a-starboard!" and presently there occurred a gentle shock showing that the brig had collided with something apparently on the rounding of her starboard bow accompanied by a most outrageous clamour, in which "S-a-c-r-es" and other French expletives plentifully abounded.
I seized the tiller and ran it over hard a-starboard, and I had not held it in that posture half a minute when to my inexpressible delight I observed that she was paying off.
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