NOVEMBER 6 to November 15.—For the first five days after the Chancellor1 had run aground, there was a dense2 black smoke continually rising from the hold; but it gradually diminished until the 6th of November, when we might consider that the fire was extinguished. Curtis, nevertheless, deemed it prudent3 to persevere4 in working the pumps, which he did until the entire hull5 of the ship, right up to the deck, had been completely inundated6.
The rapidity, however, with which the water, at every retreat of the tide, drained off to the level of the sea, was an indication that the leak must be of considerable magnitude; and such, on investigation7, proved to be the case. One of the sailors, named Flaypole, dived one day at low water to examine the extent of the damage, and found that the hole was not much less than four feet square, and was situated8 thirty feet fore9 of the helm, and two feet above the rider of the keel; three planks10 had been stove in by a sharp point of rock and it was only a wonder that the violence with which the heavily-laden vessel11 had been thrown ashore12 did not result in the smashing in of many parts beside.
As it would be a couple of days or more before the hold would be in a condition for the bales of cotton to be removed for the carpenter to examine the damage from the interior of the ship, Curtis employed the interval13 in having the broken mizzen-mast repaired. Dowlas the carpenter, with considerable skill, contrived14 to mortise it into its former stump15, and made the junction16 thoroughly17 secure by strong iron-belts and bolts. The shrouds18, the stays and backstays, were then carefully refitted, some of the sails were changed, and the whole of the running rigging was renewed. Injury, to some extent, had been done to the poop and to the crew's lockers19 in the front; but time and labor20 were all that were wanted to make them good; and with such a will did everybody set to work that it was not long before all the cabins were again available for use.
On the 8th the un............