The Loss of the Royal George | Page 9

could not be righted, I,
seizing little Crispo, made a rush to starboard, and, dashing through an
open port, found myself outside the ship, which at that moment went
completely over, her masts and spars sinking under the water.
Somehow or other, the young midshipman broke from me and slipped
over into the sea. I thought the poor little fellow would have been lost,
but he struck out bravely, which was, as it turned out, the best thing he
could have done, as he could swim well.

I had just before seen all the port-holes crowded with seamen, trying to
escape, and jamming one another so that they could scarcely move one
way or the other. The ship now lying down completely on her larboard
broadside, suddenly the heads of most of the men disappeared, they
having dropped back into the ship, many of those who were holding on
being hauled down by others below them. It was, you see, as if they
had been trying to get out of a number of chimneys, with nothing for
their feet to rest upon. Directly afterwards there came such a rush of
wind through the ports that my hat was blown off. It was the air from
the hold, which, having no other vent, escaped as the water pouring in
took up its space. The whole side of the ship was, I said, covered with
seamen and marines, and here and there a Jew maybe, and a good many
women and a few children shrieking and crying out for mercy. Never
have I heard such a fearful wailing. One poor woman near me shrieked
out for her husband, but he was nowhere to be seen, and she thought
that he was below with those who by this time were drowned; for there
were hundreds who had been on the lower-decks, and in the hold, who
had never even reached the ports, and some who had fallen back into
the sea as it rushed in at the larboard side. She implored me to help her,
and I said I would if I could. We could see boats putting off from the
ships all round us to our help, and here and there people swimming for
their lives who had leaped from the stern-ports, or had been on the
lower-deck. I could not help thinking of our fine old admiral, and
wished that he might be among them; but he was not, for he was
writing in his cabin at the time, and when the captain tried to let him
know that the ship was sinking, he found the door so jammed by her
heeling over that he could not open it, and was obliged to rush aft and
make his escape through a stern-port to save his life. This I afterwards
heard.
As the ship had floated for some minutes, I began to hope that she
would continue in the same position, and that I and others around me
on her side might be saved. I hoped this for my own sake, and still
more for that of my dear wife. I had been thinking of her all the time,
for I knew that it would go well-nigh to break her heart if I was taken
from her, as it were, just before her eyes. Suddenly I found, to my
horror, that the ship was settling down; the shrieks of despair which

rent the air on every side, not only from women, but from many a man
I had looked upon as a stout fellow, rang in my ears. Knowing that if I
went down with the ship I should have a hard job to rise again, I seized
the poor woman by the dress, and leaped off with her into the sea; but,
to my horror, her dress tore, and before I could get hold of her again
she was swept from me. I had struck out for some distance, when I felt
myself, as it were, drawn back, and, on looking round, I saw the ship's
upper works disappear beneath the water, which was covered with a
mass of human beings, shrieking and lifting up their hands in despair.
Presently they all disappeared. Just then I felt myself drawn down by
someone getting hold of my foot under the water, but, managing to kick
off my shoe, I quickly rose again and struck out away from the spot,
impelled by instinct rather than anything else, for I had no time for
thought; then directly afterwards up came the masts almost with a
bound, as it were, and stood out of the water, with a slight list only to
starboard, with the fore, main, and mizzen tops all above water, as well
as part of the bowsprit and ensign-staff, with the flag still hoisted