The wind might change at any moment, since the scirocco
was only accidental; and at the first wave from seaward bump would
go the poor ship, and there would [might] be an end of our voyage.
The captain, without waiting to sound, began to make an effort to
put the ship over what was supposed to be a sandbank; but by the
time soundings were made, this was found to be impossible, and he
had only been jamming the poor ELBA faster on a rock. Now every
effort was made to get her astern, an anchor taken out, a rope
brought to a winch I had for the cable, and the engines backed; but
all in vain. A small Turkish Government steamer, which is to be
our consort, came to our assistance, but of course very slowly, and
much time was occupied before we could get a hawser to her. I
could do no good after having made a chart of the soundings round
the ship, and went at last on to the bridge to sketch the scene.
But at that moment the strain from the winch and a jerk from the
Turkish steamer got off the boat, after we had been some hours
aground. The carpenter reported that she had made only two inches
of water in one compartment; the cable was still uninjured astern,
and our spirits rose; when, will you believe it? after going a
short distance astern, the pilot ran us once more fast aground on
what seemed to me nearly the same spot.
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