These sails were immediately
set, and she payed off so as to bring her broadside to the beach. When
the sea returned, in the form of a wall of water 25 or 30 feet high, it
carried us over the warehouses into the first street of the town. This
wave in receding took her back toward the beach, and left her nearly
perpendicular on the edge of a coral reef, where she has now keeled over
to an angle of 15 degrees.
All this was the work of a few moments only, and soon after the waters
of the bay subsided into their naturally tranquil state, leaving us high
and dry upon the beach. During her progress toward the beach she struck
heavily two or three times; the first lurch carried the rifle gun on the
forecastle overboard. Had the ship been carried 10 or 15 feet further
out, she must inevitably have been forced over on her beam ends,
resulting, I fear, in her total destruction, and in the loss of many
lives. Providentially only four men were lost; these were in the boats
at the time the shock commenced. The boats that were down were all
swamped except my gig, which was crushed under the keel, killing my
coxswain, a most valuable man.
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