We all believed the schooner had been struck by lightning.

This was not the case.

It was, nevertheless, a narrow escape.

I received on my hand and arm an electric shock, which tingled through every nerve and nearly felled me to the deck, and rendered my arm powerless for an hour afterwards.
The captain now seemed really alarmed.

He ordered me in a loud voice to come aft, and told the crew to follow him into the cabin, leaving the schooner to manage matters with the thunder storm and take care of herself.