The ship was soon got before the wind again; the pumps were examined, and seven feet of water found in the hold. The pumps were rigged, and all hands were obliged to take their turn at them. The ship was heavily deck loaded, which rendered it very crank, or, in other words, easily to be upset; as well as made it extremely difficult to go about on deck to work the ship, and making it altogether unsafe, as there was nothing to prevent our being washed overboard. We lashed ourselves to the railing around the mainmast, and thus we stood for twenty-four hours, having nothing to eat but a few hard biscuit, taking a glass of whiskey as often as every half or three-fourths of an hour. The gale still increased,—the sea under our stern would raise the ship to such a height, that for a moment it appeared as if she would go over in end; then she would fall again, and for a moment be engulphed between two high seas apparently fifty or sixty feet high, when they would come again with seemingly greater fury. When rising this wave, it appeared as if the ship went at the rate of 14 or 16 knots an hour. Keeping the pumps at work constantly, we were enabled to check the increase[226] of the water; but still so great was the leakage, that we could not decrease the quantity already in the hold. This was truly discouraging. Whiskey was dealt out freely, which served in some degree to drive away the fear of the moment. One night, when under close reefed main-top-sail and fore-sail, with two men at the wheel, our ship broached to, or suddenly turned to the windward of her course, which presented her side to the wind, and greatly endangered her upsetting. At this time all hands were aloft, reefing and securing the sails that had blown adrift from the yards. Those that were at that time from the mast, upon the yards, sought safety by clinging to the yard, which brought them erect upon the same. Others, that were near the masts, lay at, or were in a horizontal position. While she lay upon her beam ends, a heavy sea boarded her, sweeping the hurricane house, bed, and bedding of the second mate, spare sails, ropes, and six casks of meat, clear from the deck, and disabling one of the men at the wheel. At length she righted, quite to the disappointment of all on board; for we all expected she was lost. In this condition we lay, drifting at the mercy of the wind and waves twelve hours, when we loosed the fore-sail and fore top-mast-stay-sail after goose winging (or fastening the clew or lower corner of the sail, while the middle is secured or fastened to the yard) the fore-sail and boarding the fore-tacks, set the stay-sails, and put the helm hard up. She payed off a little, and shivering the main-top-sail, we were soon before the wind again, running at the rate of 12 or 15 knots per hour. The wind abating somewhat, allowed us to make a little sail. Our top-sails[227] and fore-top-mast-studding-sails were set on both sides.