Fortunately, the North Deal
galley Hope, commanded by Capt. John Budd, lay at anchor near the spot,
waiting to land the pilot from a London steamer which was going down the
channel. When the boatmen realized that the Niger had been hit by a
submarine or mine, to use their own expression, they rowed like the very
devil.
"We saw the sailors," said Capt. Budd, "jumping from the vessel's side
in dozens. As we neared the fast-disappearing vessel we came upon swarms
of men struggling in the sea and heroically helping to support each
other. Some were fully dressed, others only partly so. They were
clinging to pieces of wreckage and deck furniture, and some were in
lifeboats.
"It was a heartrending spectacle. The men were so thick in the water
that they grasped at our oars as we dipped them in the sea. We rescued
so many and our own boat got so choked that we could not move. With our
own gunwale only just out of the water, we were in danger of sinking
ourselves.
"We called to the men that we could take no more in or we should sink
ourselves, but they continued to pour over the sides, and some hung to
the stern of our boat. We had about fifty on board. Never had there been
so many in the boat before. One burly sailor, whom we told to wait until
the next boat came along, laughingly remarked [Transcriber: original
'remared'] while he was in the water, 'All right, Cocky, I will hold on
by my eyebrows,' and he drifted to another galley.
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