For if he be hurt, or have fled
from the terrible wave, it is an even chance that she "broaches
to;" that is to say, swings round broadside on to the next great
wave that follows relentlessly its predecessor. Then, helpless
and vulnerable, she will most probably be smashed up and founder.
Many a good ship has gone with all hands to the bottom just as
simply as that.
In order to avoid such a catastrophe, the proper procedure is to
"heave-to" before the sea has attained so dangerous a height; but
even a landsman can understand how reluctant a shipmaster may be
to lie like a log just drifting, while a more seaworthy ship is
flying along at the rate of, perhaps, three hundred miles a day
in the desired direction. Ships of the CACHALOT's bluff build
are peculiarly liable to delays of this kind from their slowness,
which, if allied to want of buoyancy, makes it necessary to
heave-to in good time, if safety is at all cared for.
To my great astonishment and delight, however, our grand old
vessel nobly sustained her character, running on without shipping
any heavy water, although sometimes hedged in on either side by
gigantic waves that seemed to tower as high as her lowermast
heads.
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