The storm increased so as to baffle the skill of the mariners and the care of the captain, and finally the hope of all on board. No voice was heard now, giving orders for this or that to be done; but cries, and prayers, and vows to Heaven for aid, and so extreme was their misery, that Transila thought not of her Ladislaus, nor Auristella of Periander. One of the powerful effects of approaching death, is to blot from the memory all things that belong to this life; and if it is able to make the jealous heart forget its pangs, one may indeed say it can do even the impossible. There was no hour-glass to mark how time passed, nor compass, nor any means of discovering what place they were in. All was confusion; all were crying, sighing, and praying. The captain was dismayed; the mariners gave up all exertion; human strength was of no avail. The general despair at last made all silent. The rude sea broke over the very deck, and even over the highest masts, which, as if in revenge for the insult, struck as it were into the very sands below. At break of day, if so it could be called, when there came no light with it, the ship remained water-logged and immoveable, which is one of the worst disasters that can befall a vessel. At length a furious hurricane lifted her up, as though by some machinery, burying the topmasts in the depths of ocean, and leaving her keel turned up to the skies, making her a tomb for all who were within her. "Adieu to all the chaste thoughts of Auristella! adieu to all her pious intentions! Rest in peace, honoured and holy one; no other mausoleum, no other monument canst thou expect, except a few poor frail planks. And thou, O Transila, bright example of maiden purity, though thy bridal bed will not be shared with thine espoused Ladislaus, yet wilt thou in the arms of thy wise and aged parent find that hope which will guide thee to a far happier resting-place. "And thou, O Ricla, clasp in thy arms Antonio and Constance, thy children, and commit them to Him who now takes away your lives, only to give you a far better one in Heaven." Such were the words of the author of this most remarkable and pitiful history, in consequence of the upsetting of the ship, and the certain death (as might be supposed) of all who were in her; and what more he says, will be seen in the following chapter. [Illustration] CHAPTER II. _An extraordinary Event._