[Note: this transcription was produced by an automatic OCR engine]

192 WITH NATIVES IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC

in the water, and that her bow, instead of rising on
the waves, dug into them. On deck a quantity of
water ran backward and forward in a wave as high
as the bulwarks, and it seemed as if the ship could
scarcely right herself when once she lay over on one
side. The growing excitement of the captain, his
nervous consultations with the engineer and the super-
cargo, were most uncomfortable; presently the
passengers began to take part in the deliberations,
and to observe the behaviour of the ship. As our
course gave us a sidewise current, the captain ordered
the sails to be hoisted, in order to lessen the rolling;
but the sea was too heavy, and we shipped still more
water and rolled alarmingly. The captain sighed, ran
hither and thither, then lowered the sails and took a
more westerly course, in the direction of one of the
Loyalty Islands; thus we had the current from
behind, which made things still worse, as the sea,
rolling along the ship, filled the deck from both sides ;
and as the bulwarks were blocked up by the lumber,
the water could not run off, thus adding an enormous
weight to the already overloaded ship; the water ran
forward, pressing down the bow, while the stern
reared upward.

When the captain saw the state of affairs, he lost
his head completely, and began to lament piteously:
“We do not want to drown, no, we do not want to
drown; but we are going to. Oh, my poor wife and
children! Do you like to drown, doctor?” I denied
this energetically, but I could not help looking at the
dark sea and trying to get used to the idea of a closer