and we were soon rapidly nearing it. Every
available spyglass was towards this
strange sail. It appeared, as we all watched
it, to lollop up and down, as it were, with
the jerk of the sea, according to no regular
motion of a ship or boat. Suddenly it
showed more clearly on the very top of a high
wave.

"It is a ship capsized!" cried several at once;
and we were soon near enough to make out
distinctly that it was.

We had no time to spare in that state of the
weather, for troubling ourselves much about
anybody's business but our own: yet here there
might be human lives at stake.

"Can you see any one on board? Is there
any flag waving?"

"Yes, sir, I think I can make out a bit of
colour in the rigging," replied the officer of the
watch, who was intently studying the wreck
through his glass.

Every moment, at the rate we were going,
enabled us to make out the vessel better and better,
and we now discovered her to be a large barque:
all her masts standing, and a main-topsail set. The
fore topsail had evidently split, the rags blowing
about in the breeze. She was right over on one
side, the keel showing between every sea that
passed her, and the water being nearly up to
her hatchways on deck. In the mizen rigging,
upside down, was a flag—the Peruvian ensign we
at last made it out to be—and at the same
time we discovered a black object standing on
the upper part of the poop.

"It is a man!"

It was a man. So, the order was passed
to " stand by below," ready to stop the
engines. Not only one figure but three or four
figures were now observed on the wreck,
and passing under her stern, we saw that her
name was the Bon Aventuro. In the next
minute the Queen was rounded to, and a boat
prepared for lowering.

In the mean time the wind had freshened
greatly, and there was what Jack would call a
"capful" for anybody. There was such a sea
running as to render it unwise to risk any but a
lifeboat. For her, however, we soon had a crew,
and in five minutes we were close to the capsized
ship. With great difficulty, and after considerable
manoeuvring, we took advantage of a calm
interval and got alongside the keel. We then
had to jump quickly from the boat on to the
green slippery copper of the vessel's bottom,
and crawl up the side to the bulwarks, making
our boat shove off directly and lay upon her
oars. Clustered about the after part of the
vessel, hanging on to the rigging, and on anything
by which they could support themselves, were a
group of Chinamen, who welcomed us with the
most frantic gesticulations of delight. They
would let go whatever they were holding
themselves fast by, to make " salaams" down to their
very feet: greatly endangering their safety,
considering the uncomfortable slope of the ship's
deck. A hasty glance below, the hatchways
being open, and the water rushing about in the
hold, indicated the nature of the accident that
had befallen the unlucky craft, misnamed Bon
Aventuro. A great mass of sand was visible
as the water washed about. Clearly, she had
been struck by a squall; the ballast had shifted
and over she had gone. A further inspection,
but a very rapid one—for the rising wind
and sea warned us that we had no time to
spare—showed us that all her boats were gone.
As we afterwards learnt, they had afforded
means of escape to the captain, crew, and all
the other people save those whom we found.
There was no time then for asking questions.
Passing three or four lines along the ship's
bottom to hold on by, and a longer one to our
lifeboat by the keel, we sent the Chinamen
along as fast as we could: the boat being obliged
to lay off, and the greatest watchfulness and care
being exercised in handling her. She would hold
but half the number of people we found on the
wreck, so she was at once despatched with her
cargo to the steamer, and while she was gone I
jumped down into the cabin to look round. The
dining table and seats were in a confused mass
to leeward; some arms, a broken water keg or
"breaker," a part of a compass, half a bag of
bread, and a dozen other things, were lying about,
and had evidently in the confusion of abandoning
the ship been hastily taken up and thrown
aside again. From the deck, hung the tell tale
compass, still indicating (having been jammed
in its position when the ship heeled over) the
course the ship had been steering when she
capsized. Suddenly a faint noise as of a man in
pain struck on my ear. Why had I not remem-
bered that there might be someone alive down
below, who had been hurt, or was sick perhaps,
and had been unable to shift for himself when
the rest escaped? I made towards the noise,
which issued from one of the after state rooms;
walking on the side panels and over the doors of
the lower cabins instead of upon the deck. The
doors were all open, and in the second cabin
from aft, I heard the groaning. "Here, here!
Help!" said a faint voice as I reached the
place.

In one of the bed places was stretched the
emaciated figure of a man, scantily covered with
a great coat, and a patched quilt on the bed.

"Good Heaven! I had no idea there was
any one below," I exclaimed.

"It's too late—I'm dying!" said the poor
fellow, gasping his words out with great
difficulty, and falling back from the half-raised position
that in the excitement of the moment he
had had power to take.

I thought the poor fellow was gone. Of all
ghastly objects ever beheld, this was one of the
most dreadful. Neglect had aggravated the
terrible effects of the disease from which he was
suffering, and the poor yellow skeleton with its
matted hair and grimy skin was horrible to look
upon.

I hunted in the main cabin until I found in a
corner a half empty spirit bottle; a little drink
from this revived him wonderfully.

"Thanks—thanks!" he said. "Hour after