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round-houſe, they had admitted three black women, ⟨and⟩ two ſoldiers wives, who with the huſband of one ⟨of⟩ them had been permitted to come in, though ⟨a⟩ ſeamen who had tumultuouſly demanded entrance to get the lights, had been oppoſed, and kept ⟨off⟩ by Mr. Rogers, the third Mate, and Mr. Brimer ⟨the⟩ fifth, ſo that the numbers there were now increaſed to near fifty; Captain Pierce ſitting on a chair, c(illegible text) or ſome other moveable, with a daughter on each ⟨ſide⟩ of him, each of whom he alternately preſſed to his affectionate boſom; the reſt of the melancholy aſſembly were ſeated on the deck, which was ſtrewed with muſical inſtruments, and the wreck of furniture trunks, boxes and pakages.
And here alſo Mr. Meriton, having previouſly cut ſeveral wax candles into pieces, and ſtuck them up in various parts of the round-houſe, and lighted up all the glaſs lanthorns he could find, took her ſeat, intending to wait the happy dawn, that might preſent to him the means of effecting his own eſcape, and afford him an opportunity of giving aſſiſtance to the partners of his danger; but obſerving that the poor ladies appeared parched and exhauſted, he fetched a baſket of oranges from ſome parts of the round houſe, a prevailed on ſome of them to refreſh themſelves by ſucking a little of the juice. At this time they were all tolerably compoſed, except Miſs Manſel, who was in hyſteric ſits on the floor deck of the round-houſe.
Put on his return to the company, he perceived a conſiderable alteration in the appearance of the ſhip, the ſides were viſibly giving way, the deck ſeemed to be lifting, and be diſcovered other ſtrong ſymptoms that the could not hold together ⟨much⟩ longer, he therefore attempted to go forward ⟨to⟩ look out, but immediately ſaw that the ſhip was ſeparated in the middle, and that the fore part had
