self in asking questions about yankies, their manners, customs, &c. She much regretted that we boys should be prisoners, and detained from our parents. (She had two children of her own.) On our return from our first excursion up the river, which generally took us most part of the day, we were sent into the governor's kitchen, and furnished with a good supper, this was the more acceptable as our allowance of provisions was rather scant. Mrs. Hawkins was always careful whenever we went up the river, to give us some supper. After we had been several times up the river, we were all allowed to walk in the yard by day, but could not go out of the yard without a guard. We went out however on no occasion except to bring water from an excellent spring on the beach, which was thirty rods from the garrison. I do not know but what the whole town as well as the garrison, obtained their water from the same spring.

It was perhaps sometime in May, 1781, that we came to this place, and the season passed away until September, without any prospect of release. About the middle of September, there came in a twenty-two gun ship, called the Dutchess of Cumberland. She was built in Beverley, Massachusetts, and called the Congress; had been captured by a British frigate that summer, and taken into his majesty's service. She came to Placentia, to convoy a number of English merchantmen, which came there to take in cargoes of fish for Europe. While this ship lay in the harbor, one of her men deserted; diligent search was made, but he could not be found. It was suspected that some of the inhabitants had concealed him, and the officers impressed one of the inhabitants by the name of Baggs, in his stead. Gov. Hawkins put us prisoners on board this ship, to be taken to St. Johns, the capital of Newfoundland, where there was a prison ship, and a considerable number of prisoners, and it was expected that there would be a cartel sent from there to Boston that fall. Thus there appeared some prospect of our getting home again, but our prospects were shortly blasted.

The ship put to sea, and on the second or third day we had something of a blow and rain; in the afternoon a strange sail was discovered, unto which we immediately

gave chase, but as the wind increased, and the ship was going out of her course, after about an hour the chase was given up. We hove about, reefed our topsails, got our starboard tacks on board, and stood on our course.

It became necessary to give cape St. Mary's a birth; the wind increased and it became necessary to close reef the topsails. At about three or four o'clock, they thought best to put the ship away a little, supposing they had passed the cape. Mr. Baggs had been skipper of a shallop, for twenty years, he was therefore invited to take his station on the forecastle, the station of the most accomplished seamen: the forecastlemen by turns steer the ship, and when the helm was relieved at four o'clock, Mr. Baggs asked the helmsman what course they were running, and when he ascertained the course, said he, "if we run that course two hours, the ship will be on shore." At this the sailors were alarmed and advised Baggs to give this information to the officers on the quarter deck. He went aft and informed the officers that he was well acquainted with the coast, and that in his judgment, the ship and their lives were in danger.

But those British officers felt above being instructed by Newfoundland fisherman; they commanded Baggs to be off the quarter deck or they would kick him off. Mr. Baggs went forward not a little chagrined; the sailors forward kept a good look out, but the weather was so thick that they could see but a very short distance.

I have now to record one of the most eventful periods of my life. Pen cannot describe, nor can imagination conceive, the terrific scene of a shipwreck, like the one I shall attempt to describe. It must be experienced to be comprehended.

CHAPTER III.

On the 19th of September, 1781, at about 5 o'clock, P. M. there were loud and repeated cries from the forecastle, "breakers on the lee bow!" "breakers ahead!"? This doleful sound caused every ear to tingle, and every heart to thrill! Immediately from the quarter deck the following sea phrase was heard, pronounced with emphasis, "stand by to about ship, hard to lee, fore sheet, fore top bowline, jib and staysail sheets, let go!" The ship immediately rounded too, head to the wind; but before the foretopsail could possibly be fitted on the other tack, the violence of the wind and waves giving the ship stern way, she was precipitated, (stern first,) against a rugged bluff of rocks, which was, I should judge, fifteen or twenty feet above the water, almost perpendicular, having some shelves and craggs, however; two men who were near the taffrel, sprang from the taffrel rail on a shelf of the rock.

The ship struck with such violence as to break off her rudder and knock the man overboard, who was at the helm; a fourth attempted to reach the rock but failed and went overboard. The two who fell overboard were immediately dashed against the rock and disappeared.

The ship was no longer to be governed, we were all at the mercy of the waves. All was confusion, consternation and despair. The ship stuck fast upon a craggy rock which lay under water, about twice her length from the shore, and probably broke in several of her floor timbers. All this took place before half the people who were helow, got up on deck, which was nearly one half of the crew. I was going up the fore hatchway when she struck on this rock, and looking down in the hold, I saw the water gushing up with violence (through the gravel in which the lower tier of water casks were stowed,) in a

stream eight or ten inches in diameter. I with difficulty gained the quarter deck. A most terrifying scene was now presented to my view. The ship rolled so that her yard arms nearly touched the water: the sea was breaking feather white all around us. Under the fog bank which hung over the shore, we could discover the mountain, but could not see the top of it; the wind was heavy and increasing; the rain descended in torrents; the sea roaring like thunder, night coming on apace, some of the officers raving and swearing, some crying, and others praying, some inactive and desponding, others active and courageous. The long boat was got out, but by the time she struck the water, there came a heavy sea and crushed her against the ships side, as quick as you could crush an egg shell in your hand.

The ship was now laboring extremely, and fast filling with water, nor did there appear the least prospect or possibility of another persons being saved, and those upon the rock appeared not to have any prospect of release, but to be doomed to see all the remainder of their shipmates perish. With regard to myself, I might say with Watts,

"The tumult of my thoughts,
Held me in hard suspense."

Orders were given to cut away the masts; after two or three blows the mainmast went by the board, the foremast and mizen mast also followed without a stroke. On the fall of our masts, the ship cleared from the rock, on which she had been some time hanging, and drifted towards the shore, thumping against the rocks which lay under water, with tremendous force, and thereby throwing us about and against each other at a most dreadful rate. In this place the wind did not blow directly on shore, but we were drifting into a sort of cove where the shore was dead to the leeward of us, and almost perpendicular for twenty or thirty feet. In our course we were brought up by some rocks, which were so near the surface of the water, that the ship could not get over them; she lay nearly parallel with the shore against where she lay, and careening considerably towards the shore; every sea that came

gave her a tremendous shock. Her decks began to oper in some places, sufficiently wide for a man to go through into the hold; every sea that came would lift her stern considerably. Our ship was in some respects circumstanced like that in which Paul the apostle was wrecked, on the isle of Malta, for "the fore part stuck fast and remained immovable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves." There was five prisoners of us on board, but I heard of no council to put us to death, for there was not the probability or even possibility of our escape by swimming; and it was equally impossible for any one to save himself on "boards, or broken pieces of the ship."

It became necessary, however, to contrive some method of escape; swearing was yet continued, and praying also continued; for my own part, I believe I did not vocally employ myself in either. By the time the ship stuck fast the two sailors who jumped on the rocks, had with great difficulty got nearly abreast of us.

A small spar was procured and a large rope, say an inch and a half in diameter; the rope was made fast to the spar and hove over the stern; the waves carried the spar on shore, but not within the reach of the men on shore; of course it was drawn on board again. I think this was repeated three or four times before the men on shore succeeded in getting it; they made it fast round a rock as large as a small hay stack, the sailors on board drew it as straight as they could, and made it fast round the stump of the foremast.

Abreast of the ship there was a small gravelly beach, not much more than the length of the ship, with some large rocks upon it, but the wind did not blow directly towards this beach, by as much perhaps as three or four points of the compass.

It was judged that the ship lay about eight rods from the shore at right angles, but the distance was something more right ahead from the ship; for as soon as this little beach terminated, the shore began to haul out again, and had the ship been driven over the reef which she struck upon, she must have gone ashore in going three times her length, where she must have gone to pieces in less than