About four o'clock in
the afternoon
It was a work of considerable difficulty and no little danger to bend the cables , as the ship was plunging and rolling awfully , and every now and then taking green seas over all , and volumes of water rushed through the open hawse-hole into the lower deck . At last it _ was _ accomplished , and the men had a temporary respite from their labour . The gale , so far from moderating , rather increased in fury ; but the leak had not gained upon us , and the maintopmast still seemed to stand stiffly up to the gale , with the close-reefed sail upon it . About four o'clock in the afternoon , a heavy sea struck the quarter , filled one quarter-boat , and broke it away from the tackles , and stove the other ; and at the same time the ship _ lurched _ so deeply , that the muzzles of her quarterdeck guns were buried in the water , one of the maintopmast backstays gave way , and the mast , with a loud crash , went toppling over the side . I was standing under the poop awning at the time , and was nearly washed off my feet by a body of water rushing out of the cuddy ; and at the same time I heard the screaming of the ladies in the after cabin . I ran aft , and knocking at the fair widow 's door , was immediately admitted , and found everything in the greatest confusion , and herself in extreme alarm . The sea had burst in the quarterport , and deluged the cabin with water ; the deck was strewed with furniture , dashing and tumbling about with the motion of the ship ; and Emily herself was clinging to one of the stanchions , pale with terror , and drenched to the skin .