“Would you believe it, sir--the furious waves seemed to fly right over the tower, and the shipping in the bay was almost invisible for a long time. In fact, we thought that all the vessels were lost; from the mass of water blown into the air, we took it to be the level of the sea or the beginning of a second deluge.” Pointing with his hand towards the bay, “That is the spot where the _Prince_ was lost, and further on you see the place where the _Retribution_ was at anchor, with the Duke of Cambridge on board. The storm lasted above ten hours. We were quite wet in the tower, and could not get out. Had we done so, we should probably have been blown down the hill or into the sea. In the ravine above sixty large poplar trees were torn up by the roots by one gust of wind.” “How was it, in the first place, that you came to be there?” “Why, you see, sir, we were stationed there to manage the signals for ships to enter the harbour, and I happened to be on duty at the time.” “It must have been a fearful sight,” said I. “Sight, sir!--there was nothing to be seen for many hours; and it was only towards night that it cleared up a little, and then we could see the masts of the shipping in the harbour, rolling about like a forest under the influence of the shock of an earthquake. The next day, I was put on fatigue duty, to bury the corpses washed on shore from the wreck of the _Prince_, and a dreadful job it was, I assure you, sir.” “Where were they buried?” “Over the way, on the edge of Leander Bay. You may see the spot from this,” pointing it out. “There are above twenty there, to my knowledge; but some were never found.” Thanking him for his information, I invited him to come and see me when my kitchens were open, and get a basin of good soup whenever he pleased. I then rejoined the doctor and Miss Nightingale, who were returning to the hospital.