CRUISE AND COMBATS OF THE “ALABAMA.”

611

the wounded to the KearsargeP They shoved off just in time to save thepoor fellows from going down in the ship.

I now gave the order for every man to jump overboard with a spar andsave himself from the sinking ship. To enforce the order, I walked forwardand urged the men overboard. As soon as the decks were cleared, save of thebodies of the dead, I returned to the stern-port, where stood Captain Semmeswith one or two of the men and his faithful steward, who, poor fellow! wasdoomed to a watery grave, as he could not swim. The Alabama ’s stern-portwas now almost at the water’s edge. Partly undressing, we plunged into thesea, and made an offing from the sinking ship, Captain Semmes with a life-preserver and I on a grating.

The Alabama settled stern foremost, launching her hows high in the air.Graceful even in her death-struggle, she in a moment disappeared from theface of the waters. The sea now pre-sented a mass of living heads, strivingfor their lives. Many poor fellows sankfor the want of timely aid. Near me Isaw a float of empty shell-boxes, andcalled to one of the men, a good swim-mer, to examine it; he did so and replied,

“ It is the doctor, sir, dead.” Poor Llew-ellyn! he perished almost in sight of hishome. The young midshipman, Maffitt,swam to me and offered his life-preserver.

My grating was not proving a very buoy-ant float, and the white-caps breakingover my head were distressingly uncom-fortable, to say the least. Maffitt said:

“ Mr. Kell, take my life-preserver, sir:

7 17 rm n 1 assistant-surgeon david hekbert llewellyn.

you are almost exhausted.” I he gallant from a portrait in the “ illustrated

boy did not consider his own condition, L0ND ° K ' VL " K '

but his pallid face told me that his heroism was superior to his bodily

suffering, and I refused it. After twenty minutes or more I heard near

me some one call out, “ There is our first lieutenant,” and the next moment

I was pulled into a boat, in which was Captain Semmes, stretched out in

the stern-sheets, as pallid as death. He had received during the action

a slight. contusion on the hand, and the struggle in the water had almost

exhausted him. There were also several of our crew in the boat, and in a

few moments we were alongside a little steam-yacht, which had come

among our floating men, and by throwing them ropes had saved many lives.

Upon reaching her deck, I ascertained for the first time that she was the

yacht Deerhound , owned by Mr. John Lancaster, of England. In looking

about I saw two French pilot-boats engaged in saving our crew, and finally

two boats from the Kearsarge. To my surprise I found on the yacht Mr.

Lullam, whom I had dispatched in the dingey to ask that boats be sent

to save our wounded. He reported to me that our shot had literally torn

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