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Updated: May 15, 2025
Well, sir, you're a stranger, but the story will interest you. There we lay, almost smothered in the smoke, with one two-decker at work on our starboard beam, and another hammering away on the larboard bow, with our top-masts over the side, and the guns firing through the wreck."
It appears that, although not many leagues distant from Nelson's squadron, the fleet did not experience a gale which blew with uncommon violence on the 21st, and in which, after losing her three top-masts, the Vanguard lost her fore-mast and sprung her bowsprit; while the Orion and Alexander lost each a main-top-sail, and it was with difficulty they reached the Bay of St.
As from the different accounts I form great hopes of being able to attack them with success, I am proceeding to the eastward, and I hope to reach the bay early to-morrow morning. The ships in Cadiz are getting in forwardness to put to sea. Eight appeared this morning with top-gallant yards across and sails bent, and four others with their top-masts rigged.
The ship's rudder got loose, and was secured with difficulty. We had to reef all three of our top-masts, also, to save the spars; after which we could only carry double-reefed topsails. It was in the dead of winter, and the winds hung to the westward for a long time. The cook, a surly negro, was slack in duty, and refused to make scous for us, though there were plenty of potatoes on board.
We then got on shore the Hecla’s cables and hawsers for the accommodation of the Fury’s men in our tiers during the heaving down, struck our top-masts which would be required as shores and outriggers, and, in short, continued to occupy every individual in some preparation or other.
After some time the pinnace brought us notice that all the ships had taken down their sails and struck their top-masts, so that we concluded they would remain till sure of our departure.
This was the first time I ever saw preparations made to send down lower yards, and to house top-masts merchantmen not being strong-handed enough to cut such capers with their sticks. We had three anchors ahead, if not four, the ship labouring a good deal. We lost one man from the starboard forechains, by his getting caught in the buoy-rope, as we let go a sheet-anchor.
They dragged their anchor in the storm, and were obliged to let go the sheet-anchor, and to strike their lower yards and top-masts.
The harbour was difficult to enter, and well fortified, otherwise her three years would not have been three hours before we were alongside of her. I remained a week watching her movements, which, by-the-bye, were no movements at all except that she had struck her top-masts and hauled further inshore.
The railway runs parallel to the Suez Canal, which, by the way, was a canal in the days of the Pharaohs, but, of course, much smaller and only used for irrigation. We saw the top-masts of several steamers above the sandy banks as they crawled slowly through the desert. How great the traffic already is and with what strides it grows is well known.
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