the coast, had steeredbetween the main land and the little island of Amber, mistaking thelatter for the Point of Endeavour, near which vessels pass in order togain Port Louis; and that, if this were the case, which, however, hewould not take upon himself to be certain of, the ship, he thought,was in very great danger. Another islander informed us, that he hadfrequently crossed the channel which separates the isle of Amber fromthe coast, and had sounded it, that the anchorage was very good, andthat the ship would there lie as safely as in the best harbour. "Iwould stake all I am worth upon it," said he, "and if I were on board,I should sleep as sound as on shore." A third bystander declared thatit was impossible for the ship to enter that channel, which was scarcelynavigable for a boat. He was certain, he said, that he had seen thevessel at anchor beyond the isle of Amber; so that, if the wind rosein the morning, she would either put to sea, or gain the harbour.Other inhabitants gave different opinions upon this subject, whichthey continued to discuss in the usual desultory manner of the indolentCreoles. Paul and I observed a profound silence. We remained on thisspot till break of day, but the weather was too hazy to admit of ourdistinguishing any object at sea, every thing being covered with fog.All we could descry to seaward was a dark cloud, which they told us wasthe isle of Amber, at the distance of a quarter of a league from thecoast. On this gloomy day we could only discern the point of land onwhich we were standing, and the peaks of some inland mountains, whichstarted out occasionally from the midst of the clouds that hung aroundthem.
At about seven in the morning we heard the sound of drums in the woods:it announced the approach of the governor, Monsieur de la Bourdonnais,who soon after arrived on horseback, at the head of a detachment ofsoldiers armed with muskets, and a crowd of islanders and negroes. Hedrew up his soldiers upon the beach, and ordered them to make a generaldischarge. This was no sooner done, than we perceived a glimmering lightupon the water which was instantly followed by the report of a cannon.We judged that the ship was at no great distance and all ran towardsthat part whence the light and sound proceeded. We now discerned throughthe fog the hull and yards of a large vessel. We were so near to her,that notwithstanding the tumult of the waves, we could distinctly hearthe whistle of the boatswain, and the shouts of the sailors, who criedout three times, VIVE LE ROI! this being the cry of the French inextreme danger, as well as in exuberant joy;--as though they wishedto call their princes to their aid, or to testify to him that they areprepared to lay down their lives in his service.
As soon as the Saint-Geran perceived that we were near enough to renderher assistance, she continued to fire guns regularly at intervals ofthree minutes. Monsieur de la Bourdonnais caused great fires to belighted at certain distances upon the strand, and sent to all theinhabitants of the neighbourhood, in search of provisions, planks,cables, and empty barrels. A number of people soon arrived, accompaniedby their negroes loaded with provisions and cordage, which they hadbrought from the plantations of Golden Dust, from the district of LaFlaque, and from the river of the Ram part. One of the most aged ofthese planters, approaching the governor, said to him,--"We have heardall night hollow noises in the mountain; in the woods, the leaves of thetrees are shaken, although there is no wind; the sea-birds seek refugeupon the land: it is certain that all these signs announce a hurricane.""Well, my friends," answered the governor, "we are prepared for it, andno doubt the vessel is also."
Every thing, indeed, presaged the near approach of the hurricane. Thecentre of the clouds in the zenith was of a dismal black, while theirskirts were tinged with a copper-coloured hue. The air resounded withthe cries of the tropic-birds, petrels, frigate-birds, and innumerableother sea-fowl, which notwithstanding the obscurity of the atmosphere,were seen coming from every point of the horizon, to seek for shelter inthe island.
Towards nine in the morning we heard in the direction of the ocean themost terrific noise, like the sound of thunder mingled with that oftorrents rushing down the steeps of lofty mountains. A general cry washeard of, "There is the hurricane!" and the next moment a frightfulgust of wind dispelled the fog which covered the isle of Amber and itschannel. The Saint-Geran then presented herself to our view, her deckcrowded with people, her yards and topmasts lowered down, and her flaghalf-mast high, moored by four cables at her bow and one at her stern.She had anchored between the isle of Amber and the main land, insidethe chain of reefs which encircles the island, and which she had passedthrough in a place where no vessel had ever passed before. She presentedher head to the waves that rolled in from the open sea, and as eachbillow rushed into the narrow strait where she lay, her bow lifted tosuch a degree as to show her keel; and at the same moment her stern,plunging into the water, disappeared altogether from our sight, as if itwere swallowed up by the surges. In this position, driven by the windsand waves towards the shore, it was equally impossible for her to returnby the passage through which she had made her way; or, by cutting hercables, to strand herself upon the beach, from which she was separatedby sandbanks and reefs of rocks. Every billow which broke upon the coastadvanced roaring to the bottom of the bay, throwing up heaps of shingleto the distance of fifty feet upon the land; then, rushing back, laidbare its sandy bed, from which it rolled immense stones, with a hoarseand dismal noise. The sea, swelled by the violence of the wind, rosehigher every moment; and the whole channel between this island and theisle of Amber was soon one vast sheet of white foam, full of yawningpits of black and deep billows. Heaps of this foam, more than six feethigh, were piled up at the bottom of the bay; and the winds which sweptits surface carried masses of it over the steep sea-bank, scattering itupon the land to the distance of half a league. These innumerable whiteflakes, driven horizontally even to the very foot of the mountains,looked like snow issuing from the bosom of the ocean. The appearance ofthe horizon portended a lasting tempest; the sky and the water seemedblended together. Thick masses of clouds, of a frightful form, sweptacross the zenith with the swiftness of birds, while others appearedmotionless as rocks. Not a single spot of blue sky could be discerned inthe whole firmament; and a pale yellow gleam only lightened up all theobjects of the earth, the sea, and the skies.
From the violent rolling of the ship, what we all dreaded happened atlast. The cables which held her bow were torn away: she then swung to asingle hawser, and was instantly dashed upon the rocks, at the distanceof half a cable's length from the shore. A general cry of horror issuedfrom the spectators. Paul rushed forward to throw himself into thesea, when, seizing him by the arm, "My son," I exclaimed, "would youperish?"--"Let me go to save her," he cried, "or let me die!" Seeingthat despair had deprived him of reason, Domingo and I, in order topreserve him, fastened a long cord around his waist, and held it fastby the end. Paul then precipitated himself towards the Saint-Geran,now swimming, and now walking upon the rocks. Sometimes he had hopes ofreaching the vessel, which the sea, by the reflux of its waves, had leftalmost dry, so that you could have walked round it on foot; but suddenlythe billows, returning with fresh fury, shrouded it beneath mountains ofwater, which then lifted it upright upon its keel. The breakers at thesame moment threw the unfortunate Paul far upon the beach, his legsbathed in blood, his bosom wounded, and himself half dead. The momenthe had recovered the use of his senses, he arose, and returned with newardour towards the vessel, the parts of which now yawned asunder fromthe violent strokes of the billows. The crew then, despairing of theirsafety, threw themselves in crowds into the sea, upon yards, planks,hen-coops, tables, and barrels. At this moment we beheld an objectwhich wrung our hearts with grief and pity; a young lady appeared in thestern-gallery of the Saint-Geran, stretching out her arms towards himwho was making so many efforts to join her. It was Virginia. She haddiscovered her lover by his intrepidity. The sight of this amiable girl,exposed to such horrible danger, filled us with unutterable despair. Asfor Virginia, with a firm and dignified mien, she waved her hand, asif bidding us an eternal farewell. All the sailors had flung themselvesinto the sea, except one, who still remained upon the deck, and whowas naked, and s
trong as Hercules. This man approached Virginia withrespect, and, kneeling at her feet, attempted to force her to throwoff her clothes; but she repulsed him with modesty, and turned awayher head. Then were heard redoubled cries from the spectators, "Saveher!--save her!--do not leave her!" But at that moment a mountainbillow, of enormous magnitude, ingulfed itself between the isle of Amberand the coast, and menaced the shattered vessel, towards which it rolledbellowing, with its black sides and foaming head. At this terriblesight the sailor flung himself into the sea; and Virginia, seeing deathinevitable, crossed her hands upon her breast, and raising upwards herserene and beauteous eyes, seemed an angel prepared to take her flightto Heaven.
Oh, day of horror! Alas! every thing was swallowed up by the relentlessbillows. The surge threw some of the spectators, whom an impulse ofhumanity had