At length we reached the inner reef. We found the open
roadstead full of ships, with hardly room to swing, and a strong north-
west wind, so that we could not get a place. We ran right into the
first at anchor, the _Standard_, a trading-ship of Shields, built of
iron. Richard and I were standing on the bridge, and he touched my
arm and said:
"By Jove! We're going right into that ship."
"Oh no," I answered; "with the captain and the pilot on the bridge, and
all the crew in the forecastle, it can only be a beautiful bit of
steering. We shall just shave her."
The words were scarcely out of my mouth when smash went our bulwarks like
brown paper, and our yardarms crumpled like umbrellas. I had jokingly
threatened with the "thirteenth" the day before, but they had laughed
at me.
"Il tredici!" shouted the second officer, as he flew by us.
The crews of both ships behaved splendidly, and the cry on board our ship
was, "Where is the English captain? I do not see him."
"No," we answered, "you do not see him, but we can hear him." And sure
enough there he was all right, and swearing quite like himself. There is
nothing like an Englishman for a good decisive order; and who can blame
him if he adds at such times a little powder to drive the shot home?
We were about three hours disentangling ourselves.
I was delighted with my first view of Jeddah. It is the most _bizarre_
and fascinating town.
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