Ernest heard the remark, and repeated it to two of his comrades. Sailors are notoriously superstitious, and the effect was that they felt sure the vessel was not going to reach her destination. They laid their plans to desert the ship at Cardiff, and would have succeeded if some one had not overheard their talk, and reported to an officer. They had each two suits of clothes on, prepared to make their escape, when they were apprehended by a policeman and compelled to return. Ernest plead with the captain to let him go, saying he could keep all his belongings and wages due if he would only grant him his liberty, but didn't dare tell why he wanted to escape. The captain however, refused, saying he had never had a man desert him, and he wouldn't allow him to. With the exception of alternate head winds and calms, which greatly retarded the vessel, nothing serious occurred until the Cape of Good Hope was rounded, when heavy storms and high seas were encountered. The bulwarks were swept away, the main batch burst in, and six casks of fresh water were swept overboard. Ernest and a companion were standing at the steering wheel when the second mate warned them to hold on, as a heavy sea was about to break over the ship. They both gripped the wheel with all their strength, but, as the wave passed over, Ernest saw, to his horror, his companion go with it; then, marvelous to relate, as the ship bent down under the weight of the second huge wave, the sailor grasped a mizzen chain and clung on, and shouted until others of the crew came to his relief and hauled him back to safety. With nine feet of water in the hold, the ship was unmanageable, and the captain told the crew they would either have to pump or sink. By some working the pumps for dear life, and others nailing canvas over the hatchway, and stanchion holes, and by throwing eighty tons of cargo overboard to lighten the ship, they managed to weather the storm; but five nights and four days had passed before they dared cease pumping.