Soon after the artificers landed they commenced work; but
the wind coming to blow hard, the SMEATON'S boat and crew, who

had brought their complement of eight men to the rock, went
off to examine her riding ropes, and see that they were in

proper order. The boat had no sooner reached the vessel than
she went adrift, carrying the boat along with her. By the

time that she was got round to make a tack towards the rock,
she had drifted at least three miles to leeward, with the

praam-boat astern; and, having both the wind and a tide
against her, the writer perceived, with no little anxiety,

that she could not possibly return to the rock till long after
its being overflowed; for, owing to the anomaly of the tides

formerly noticed, the Bell Rock is completely under water when
the ebb abates to the offing.

In this perilous predicament, indeed, he found himself
placed between hope and despair - but certainly the latter was

by much the most predominant feeling of his mind - situate
upon a sunken rock in the middle of the ocean, which, in the

progress of the flood-tide, was to be laid under water to the
depth of at least twelve feet in a stormy sea. There were

this morning thirty-two persons in all upon the rock, with
only two boats, whose complement, even in good weather, did

not exceed twenty-four sitters; but to row to the floating
light with so much wind, and in so heavy a sea, a complement

of eight men for each boat was as much as could, with
propriety, be attempted, so that, in this way, about one-half

of our number was unprovided for. Under these circumstances,
had the writer ventured to despatch one of the boats in

expectation of either working the SMEATON sooner up towards
the rock, or in hopes of getting her boat brought to our

assistance, this must have given an immediate alarm to the
artificers, each of whom would have insisted upon taking to

his own boat, and leaving the eight artificers belonging to
the SMEATON to their chance. Of course a scuffle might have

ensued, and it is hard to say, in the ardour of men contending
for life, where it might have ended. It has even been hinted

to the writer that a party of the PICKMEN were determined to
keep exclusively to their own boat against all hazards.

The fortunate" target="_blank" title="a.不幸的，运气差的">unfortunate circumstance of the SMEATON and her boat
having drifted was, for a considerable time, only known to the

writer and to the landing-master, who removed to the farther
point of the rock, where he kept his eye steadily upon the

progress of the vessel. While the artificers were at work,
chiefly in sitting or kneeling postures, excavating the rock,

or boring with the jumpers, and while their numerous hammers,
with the sound of the smith's anvil, continued, the situation

of things did not appear so awful. In this state of suspense,
with almost certain destruction at hand, the water began to

rise upon those who were at work on the lower parts of the
sites of the beacon and lighthouse. From the run of sea upon

the rock, the forge fire was also sooner extinguished this
morning than usual, and the volumes of smoke having ceased,

objects in every direction became visible from all parts of
the rock. After having had about three `hours' work, the men

began, pretty generally, to make towards their respective
boats for their jackets and stockings, when, to their

astonishment, instead of three, they found only two boats, the
third being adrift with the SMEATON. Not a word was uttered

by any one, but all appeared to be silently calculating their
numbers, and looking to each other with evident marks of

perplexity depicted in their countenances. The landing-
master, conceiving that blame might be attached to him for

allowing the boat to leave the rock, still kept at a distance.
At this critical moment the author was standing upon an

elevated part of Smith's Ledge, where he endeavoured to mark
the progress of the SMEATON, not a little surprised that her

crew did not cut the praam adrift, which greatly retarded her
way, and amazed that some effort was not making to bring at

least the boat, and attempt our relief. The workmen looked
steadfastly upon the writer, and turned occasionally towards

the vessel, still far to leeward. (1) All this passed in the
most perfect silence, and the melancholysolemnity of the

group made an impression never to be effaced from his mind.
(1) `Nothing was said, but I was LOOKED OUT OF

COUNTENANCE,' he says in a letter.
The writer had all along been considering of various

schemes - providing the men could be kept under command -
which might be put in practice for the general safety, in

hopes that the SMEATON might be able to pick up the boats to
leeward, when they were obliged to leave the rock. He was,

accordingly, about to address the artificers on the perilous
nature of their circumstances, and to propose that all hands

should unstrip their upper clothing when the higher parts of
the rock were laid under water; that the seamen should remove

every unnecessary weight and encumbrance from the boats; that
a specified number of men should go into each boat, and that

the remainder should hang by the gunwales, while the boats
were to be rowed gently towards the SMEATON, as the course to

the PHAROS, or floating light, lay rather to windward of the
rock. But when he attempted to speak his mouth was so parched

that his tongue refused utterance, and he now learned by
experience that the saliva is as necessary as the tongue

itself for speech. He turned to one of the pools on the rock
and lapped a little water, which produced immediate relief.

But what was his happiness, when on rising from this
unpleasant beverage, some one called out, `A boat! a boat!'

and, on looking around, at no great distance, a large boat was
seen through the haze making towards the rock. This at once

enlivened and rejoiced every heart. The timeous visitor
proved to be James Spink, the Bell Rock pilot, who had come

express from Arbroath with letters. Spink had for some time
seen the SMEATON, and had even supposed, from the state of the

weather, that all hands were on board of her till he
approached more nearly and observed people upon the rock; but

not supposing that the assistance of his boat was necessary to
carry the artificers off the rock, he anchored on the lee-side

and began to fish, waiting, as usual, till the letters were
sent for, as the pilot-boat was too large and unwieldy for

approaching the rock when there was any roughness or run of
the sea at the entrance of the landing creeks.

Upon this fortunate change of circumstances, sixteen of
the artificers were sent, at two trips, in one of the boats,

with instructions for Spink to proceed with them to the
floating light. This being accomplished, the remaining

sixteen followed in the two boats belonging to the service of
the rock. Every one felt the most perfect happiness at

leaving the Bell Rock this morning, though a very hard and
even dangerous passage to the floating light still awaited us,

as the wind by this time had increased to a pretty hard gale,
accompanied with a considerable swell of sea. Every one was

as completely drenched in water as if he had been dragged
astern of the boats. The writer, in particular, being at the

helm, found, on getting on board, that his face and ears were
completely coated with a thin film of salt from the sea spray,

which broke constantly over the bows of the boat. After much
baling of water and severe work at the oars, the three boats