There are but few artists, even marine artists, who have actually followed the sea as a profession. A well-known name among the few who have done so is that of Mr. E. S. Hodgson, whose strong, vigorous illustrations of seafaring adventures are a familiar feature in The Wide World. A casual glance at his drawings is sufficient to show that he has an intimate acquaintance with the life and customs of a sailor, and they are executed with a realistic touch that could not be attained except by personal experience. Mr. Hodgson, while on a voyage, once met with a serious accident which nearly cost him his life; and it was entirely owing to the effects of this mishap that he gave up the sea and decided to become an artist. Mr. Hodgson has provided us with the following account of what happened to him for inclusion in our series of “Adventures of WIDE WORLD Artists.” His ship, the barque _Her Majesty_, six hundred tons register, sailed from the London Docks bound for the West Indies with a cargo of bricks and rice for the prisons in Martinique. For some weeks nothing out of the ordinary routine of life aboard ship occurred, _Her Majesty_ bowling along with a favourable wind and making good headway. The north-east trades had only just been reached, however, when bad weather was encountered, storms and squalls succeeding each other day after day. [Illustration: MR. E. S. HODGSON, WHO FELL FROM THE MAST OF A SHIP TO THE DECK BELOW, A DISTANCE OF OVER A HUNDRED FEET. _From a Photograph._] “All hands on deck,” was the order one bleak, dark night when a sudden blustering gale arose, and Mr. Hodgson, with the rest of the crew who were keeping their watch below, tumbled up, none too pleased at the prospect of a night on deck instead of in their bunks. “Jump up there, my lad, and make fast the fore-royal,” was the skipper’s order to our artist. “Aye, aye, sir,” he replied, as he made for the foot of the shrouds. The gale was blowing at a terrific rate, causing the ship to plunge and roll heavily, and Mr. Hodgson’s task would have been a dangerous one even for a much more experienced sailor. The order had been given, however, and up he had to go.