forward of the windlass, or the anchor went down foul, or we had too much headway on, for it did not bring us up. ``Pay out chain!’’ shouted the captain; and we gave it to her; but it would not do.  Before the other anchor could be let go, we drifted down, broadside on, and went smash into the Lagoda.  Her crew were at breakfast in the forecastle, and her cook, seeing us coming, rushed out of his galley, and called up the officers and men.

Fortunately, no great harm was done.  Her jib-boom passed between our fore and main masts, carrying away some of our rigging, and breaking down the rail.  She lost her martingale.  This brought us up, and, as they paid out chain, we swung clear of them, and let go the other anchor; but this had as bad luck as the first, for, before any one perceived it, we were drifting down upon the Loriotte.  The captain now gave out his orders rapidly and fiercely, sheeting home the topsails, and backing and filling the sails, in hope of starting or clearing the anchors; but it was all in vain, and he sat down on the rail, taking it very leisurely, and calling out to Captain Nye that he was coming to pay him a visit.  We drifted fairly into the Loriotte, her larboard bow into our starboard quarter, carrying away a part of our starboard quarter railing, and breaking off her larboard bumpkin, and one or two stanchions above the deck.  We saw our handsome sailor, Jackson, on the forecastle, with the Sandwich-Islanders, working away to get us clear.  After paying out chain, we swung clear, but our anchors were, no doubt, afoul of hers.  We manned the windlass, and hove, and hove away, but to no purpose.  Sometimes we got a little upon the cable, but a good surge would take it all back again.  We now began to drift down toward the Ayacucho; when her boat put off, and brought her commander, Captain Wilson, on board.  He was a short, active, well-built man, about fifty years of age; and being some twenty years older than our captain, and a thorough seaman, he did not hesitate to give his advice, and, from giving advice, he gradually came to taking the command; ordering us when to heave and when to pawl, and backing and filling the topsails, setting and taking in jib and trysail, whenever he thought best.  Our captain gave a few orders, but as Wilson generally countermanded them, saying, in an easy, fatherly kind of way, ``O no!  Captain Thompson, you don’t want the jib on her,’’ or ``It isn’t time yet to heave!’’ he soon gave it up.  We had no objections to this state of things, for Wilson was a kind man, and had an encouraging and pleasant way of speaking to us, which made everything go easily.  After two or three hours of constant labor at the windlass, heaving and yo-ho-ing with all our might, we brought up an anchor, with the Loriotte’s small bower fast to it.  Having cleared this, and let it go, and cleared our hawse, we got our other anchor, which had dragged half over the harbor. ``Now,’’ said Wilson, ``I’ll find you a good berth’’;