We had just dropped off to sleep somewhere about midnight, I think.
We were early to bed being up since 3:30 that morning and a strenuous days work we had put in and we were tired and there to be annoyed till almost midnight with flies, was about the point of our endurance, but we finally, after the flies had settled somewhat were sleeping the sleep of the weary when l was awakened out of a sound sleep by what I first thought was some prank being played by one of the boys throwing water on my head, I raised up to ascertain the cause of such an outrage when I perceived others moving out from under the bed clothing staring at what, had no doubt so mysteriously awakened me; for a minute they lay in this l half raised position, when someone asked what had happened. Ed said someone was trying to pull the clothes off his bed. Will said someone was throwing water on him, by this time everyone was awake and lucky for us that we were.
The moon was directly overhead and it was bright as day. But the sea, it was the Captain who yelled [whose yell] warned us just in time to save probably all of us from serious consequences. It was high tide and extreme high time at that, which occurs at full moon, an occurrence which we had evidently overlooked, and the arousing of the boys, was the first swell or breaker of three or four that marks the turning- point of the tide and the last one is generally the largest. The smallest or first of the three or four forming the turning point we had just had a visit from and we instantly knew we had to run for it, but before we could gather up our bedding the second one was upon us, we turned to run for the tunnel leaving our bedding where it was immediately sweep [swept] up by the sea. I had just reached the tunnel when out came the two boys calling to us that it was impossible to get out that way for the sea was further inshore on that side than this owning [owing] to the low and level lay of the sand. We were ankle deep in a whirling gurgling sweep of water, now fortunately receding and with its retreat we saw our bedding and camp utensils being pulled out to sea, cans, buckets, dishes and pots were rolling and clattering over the rock out of our reach. On attempting to rescue part of our bedding and camp outfit, we almost lost our chance of getting out with our lives. “Let those things go,’ yelled the Captain, “and run through the tunnel, it’s our only chance, we may have a shore to get through, but we can’t stay here, the next one will surely get our boats, so beat it quick.” All but two of us got through, and had just turned to our left running through water knee deep when the last and largest breaker overtook us. We were near enough to higher ground to avoid being over powered and dragged down-so got out, but not before we were drenched. We did not know until we reached high ground that we were short of two of our boys.
We had many very narrow escapes before our trip was over, and many severe frights, but none that frightened us as thoroughly as when we found two of us missing, when it was only in the nick of time that we five got out and if two were left-their fate we knew without speaking of it. The receding wave had barely commenced it’s return, before we were following it ankle deep back to the cave where we last saw them. The sea, after rolling in her three mighty rollers, subsided down to her normal flow, this greatly aided us in reaching the tunnel. We were happily surprised to meet the boys emerging from the tunnel, but in a most dilapidated condition, it would have been most comical if it had not been so near a tragedy. They told us that being the last two to reach the mouth of the tunnel they had been overtaken from the rear as well as the front at the same time and the water with a mighty rush and roar filled the cavern to the roof and the rush of water was greatest from the outside which through [threw] them off their feet and tumbled and rolled them back into the cove, bruising them not a little on the jagged edges of the rocks, they fought to keep their head above water and grappling for anything in` reach to keep from being dragged out to sea.
They finally managed to get a hold of one of the boats which had been raised from off its resting place high among the rocks of the bluff and turning over had lodged or been caught on a projecting point of rock and hung stern downward toward the water; they admitted if the boat had been free to have floated they would undoubtly been swepted [swept] away.