"And then, when at last it began to subside, we found that we had sustained considerable damage, both our topmasts being gone, the mainmast sprung, and the rudder so twisted as to be of little service.
"We had taken no observation for sixty hours, and were rather uncertain as to our location, which did not add to our comfort by any means.
"It was well past midnight, and I had dropped off into a doze, when I was awakened by a tremendous shock that made everything tremble.
"As I sat upright in my berth, there was a second shock, lighter than the first, and then the brig began to pound and thump, with a grinding, crushing sound.
"In another moment the mate came running down into the cabin after something, with a scared look on his face, and cried out:
"'We're on the reefs, and the brig's going to pieces!' and then he rushed on deck again.
"I got up and tried to climb the ladder, but a dash of water came through the open hatch and washed me back.
"Somebody jammed the hatch shut, and I was a prisoner below.
"The next moment a big wave lifted the brig up and sent her higher up on the reefs, and she rested quietly with no more pounding or thumping.
"The captain came down after a while, and said we were ashore on the Bahama reefs, and as the ship was easy now, and there was no immediate danger, we could do nothing but wait for daylight.