Here was a
nice mess. A violent scirocco blew from the land; making one's
skin feel as if it belonged to some one else and didn't fit, making
the horizon dim and yellow with fine sand, oppressing every sense
and raising the thermometer 20 degrees in an hour, but making calm
water round us which enabled the ship to lie for the time in
safety. 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.
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