And
this some of our fellow-prisoners feared indeed, and fell to crying, or
kneeling chained together as they were upon the sloping deck, while they
tried to remember long-forgotten prayers. For my own part, I wondered why
these poor wretches should pray to be delivered from the sea, when all
that was before them was lifelong slavery; but I was perhaps able to look
more calmly on the matter myself as having been at sea, and not thinking
that the vessel was going to founder because of the noise. Yet the storm
rose till 'twas very plain that we were in a raging sea, and the streams
which began to trickle through the joinings of the hatch showed that
water had got below.
'I have known better ships go under for less than this,' Elzevir said to
me; 'and if our skipper hath not a tight craft, and stout hands to work
her, there will soon be two score slaves the less to cut the canes in
Java. I cannot guess where we are now--may be off Ushant, may be not so
far, for this sea is too short for the Bay; but the saints send us
sea-room, for we have been wearing these three hours.'
'Twas true enough that we had gone to wearing, as one might tell from the
heavier roll or wallowing when we went round, instead of the plunging of
a tack; but there was no chance of getting at our whereabouts. The only
thing we had to reckon time withal, was the taking off of the hatch twice
a day for food; and even this poor clock kept not the hour too well, for
often there were such gaps and intervals as made our bellies pine, and at
this present we had waited so long that I craved even that filthy broken
meat they fed us with.
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