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Updated: June 19, 2025
"At the same moment, the atmosphere lightened up with a whitish blue light somewhat like pale moonshine and Mr Stanchion shouted out at the top of his voice, louder than we ever dreamt he could speak `Hard a-starboard! Down with the helm for your life!
"Here I be, sir, my helm hard a-starboard, studden sails set, and all a-drawing alow and aloft, but making bad weather on it on account o' these here furrers and this here jury-mast o' mine, but I'll fetch up alongside in a couple o' tacks." Now glancing in the direction of the voice, Barnabas perceived a head and face that bobbed up and down on the opposite side of the hedge.
These sounds, made more terrible by the darkness, were like death-knells, calling the men to prepare to meet their doom. And while all on board were contemplating these sounds, the ship suddenly careened a-starboard, a harsh, grating noise was heard overhead, and quantities of broken crystallites began falling on deck. This was followed by a crashing sound, and the ship righted.
As I reached the wheel and wrenched it hard a-starboard, the squall, with an indescribable fury of sound, struck us fortunately well over the starboard quarter. With a report like a cannon-shot and a creaking and groaning of overstrained spars and timbers the Mercury buried her bows in the boiling sea and gathered way, paying off square before the wind as she did so.
The Guerrilla immediately ported her helm, while I, springing to our wheel, put it hard a-starboard, thus passing a second time athwart our antagonist's stern; and again we raked her mercilessly, this time with our starboard broadside.
Presently three small cays detached themselves from the mainland, revealing a fine spacious expanse of land-locked water behind them; and when, a little later, the Thetis had brought the largest cay fair abeam, the pilot waved his hand, the helm was put hard a-starboard, and the vessel's bows were pointed straight for the channel between the northernmost cay and the mainland.
Always called me Willum, when he meant mischief, did the Captain. "'Why, sir, says I, 'the bottom, I reck'n. "'Wrong again, says he. 'That's the nearest land to me, and he points at the Santy Maria, Don Somebody Somethin's Flag-ship. 'Hard a-starboard, if you please, Mr. Hardin, says he. 'I'm a-goin to land.
Intending at length to do our business at once, they clapped their helm hard a-starboard, in order to bring their whole broadside to bear, but their fire had little effect, and it muzzled themselves, which gave us an opportunity to get away from them.
By this time the man out of the boat had succeeded in sliding along the rope to where I stood, though the poor devil was nearly drowned on the road; for when about half-way, the hull took in a lump of swell which swept him right off his legs, and he was swung hard a-starboard, holding on for his life.
We had not gone far, when Brown sang out, "Starboard! Hard a-starboard! A reef ahead!" On this the mate, luffing up, ordered us to lower the sail. It was done in an instant, and not a moment too soon, for we saw close abeam a coral reef not two feet under the surface. "We may be thankful that we didn't stand on during the night," said Mr Griffiths to the doctor.
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