A Boiling Sea.

Imagine this turbulent spot on a midwinter's night, with a hurricane blowing, the Hurunui laden right down to her marks! There were breakers everywhere, and the ship's decks were full of water to the rails half the time. With two men at the wheel, two lower topsails and the foresail set, the ship had a most nerve racking experience, and the wonder is that she lived through it all. Three of her four boats were badly smashed, the only one to escape being the fourth, which was high up in the poop davits.

The crew worked like Trojans, as indeed they saw they must if they wished to come through alive. There was no concealing the gravity of the position, and how some of them escaped being washed overboard was a miracle. However, the ship got through the race by 10 p.m., and the sequel suggested that Providence had had a hand in the desperate chance the ship had taken. Captain Plunket gave great praise to his first and second officer, both making their first voyage in those ratings—the first being Mr. McCarthy a native of Auckland, and the second being Mr. Seeley, a native of Taranaki.