The Loss of the Royal George | Page 8

should have known
her by the little boy by her side. I had to return to the quarter-deck
again, and when I once more came back to the main-deck I could
nowhere see her; but whether she went into the ward-room, or had gone
below, I could not learn. I asked several people, for I thought she might
have brought me off a message from Susan, and I might, I fancied,
have been of use to her in finding the person she wished to see. While I
was looking about, Mr Webb, the purser's clerk, who had received

orders to go on shore in charge of a boat, came up and ordered me to
call the crew away; a couple of midshipmen were going with him. This
took up some time, and prevented me from finding the young lady. Just
then, as I went up to report the boat gone to Mr Hollingbury, Mr
Williams, the carpenter, came up from the lower-deck, and requested
that he would be pleased to order the ship to be righted, as she was
heeling over more than she could bear. The lieutenant gave one of his
usual short answers to the carpenter, who went below, looking as if he
did not at all like it. He was back again, however, before I had left the
deck, when he said in a short quick way, as if there was not a moment
to lose--
"If you please, sir, the ship is getting past her bearings; it's my duty to
tell you, she will no longer bear it."
"If you think, sir, you can manage the ship better than I can, you had
better take the command," answered Mr Hollingbury in an angry tone,
twitching his fingers and turning away.
About this time there were a good many men in the waist who heard
what the carpenter had said, and what answer the lieutenant gave. They
all knew, as I did, that the ship must be in great danger, or the carpenter
would not have spoken so sharply as he had.
A large number of the crew, however, were below; some on board the
lighter, others at the yard-tackles and stay-falls, hoisting in casks; some
in the spirit-room stowing away, others bearing the casks down the
hatchway, all busy clearing the lighter. The greater number, it will be
understood, were on the larboard side, and that brought the ship down
still more to larboard. There was a little more sea on than before, which
had begun to wash into the lower-deck ports, and, having no escape,
there was soon a good weight of water on the lower-deck. Several of
the men, not dreaming of danger, were amusing themselves, laughing
and shouting, catching mice, for there were a good many of them in the
ship, which the water had driven out of their quarters. It's my belief,
however, that the casks of rum hoisted in, and lying on the larboard
side, before they could be lowered into the hold, helped very much to
bring the ship down.

There stood the lieutenant, fuming at the way the carpenter had spoken
to him. Suddenly, however, it seemed to occur to him that the carpenter
was right, and he ordered the drummer to beat to quarters, that the guns
might be run into their places, and the ship righted.
"Dick Tattoo" was shouted quick enough along the deck, for everyone
now saw that not a moment was to be lost, as the ship had just then
heeled over still more. The moment the drummer was called, all hands
began tumbling down the hatchways to their quarters, that they might
run in their guns.
Just then I saw a young midshipman, whom I had observed going off
with Mr Webb, standing at the entrance-port singing out for the boat;
he had forgotten his dirk, he said, and had come back to fetch it. The
boat, however, had got some distance off, and he was left behind. Poor
fellow, it was a fatal piece of forgetfulness for him.
"Never mind, Jemmy Pish," said little Crispo, one of the smallest
midshipmen I ever saw, for he was only nine years old. "There is
another boat going ashore directly, and you can go in her."
He gave an angry answer, and went back into the gun-room, swearing
at his ill-luck.
The men had just got hold of the gun-tackles, and were about to bowse
out their guns, which had been run in amidship, some five hundred of
them or more having for the purpose gone over to the larboard side,
which caused the ship to heel still more, when the water made a rush
into the larboard lower-deck ports, and, do all they could, the guns ran
in again upon them. Feeling sure that the ship