r them to make enough
trips. Come, boys, here she goes! Jump in, a half dozen of you that can
pull oars."

There were boats enough, and soon there were men enough, for the human
heart is kind and brave, and under a good leader men will walk up to
Death himself without flinching.

Randolph Chance was big and strong, alert, and self controlled--a good
leader. I realized all this just now, as I had not before, and I thought
how strange it was that so much goodness should be bound up with so much
folly. It was the old story of the wheat and the tares; and I said: "An
enemy hath done this," and then I thought of Miss Sprig.

I don't like to dwell on that morning; the experience was new to me, and
I can't forget it; I can't rid myself of the sound of those shrieks when
the ship went down. She struggled like a human creature under a sudden
blow--rocked, tottered, quivered, and then collapsed.

The little boats made five trips and brought ashore almost all the
passengers and crew--all but one woman, and a little child.

I was one of the many who received the chilled and frightened victims of
the storm, and indeed, as soon as we were able to dispose of the more
delicate and needy ones, we turned our thought to the brave crews of the
little boats, for their exertions had been almost superhuman, and they
were well-nigh exhausted.

I bent over Randolph Chance, and begged him to take a little brandy some
one had brought.

"Give it to the women," he said feebly.

"They are all cared for; I'm going to look out for you now, Mr. Chance."

"I wouldn't feel so done up," he said, "if it weren't for that woman.
She begged me to save her, and she had a little child in her arms," and
his voice broke.

"You mustn't think of her," I said, "you did all you could."

"Yes, I did my best to reach her, but before I could get there, she went
down. I can never forget her face. Oh, at such a time a fellow can't
help wishing he were just a little quicker, and just a little stronger."

He had risen from the beach where he had flung himself or fallen, on
leaving the boat, but he fell again. I could plainly see that the
exhaustion from which he suffered was due as much to mental distress as
to physical effort, and I thought no less of him for that.

He was finally prevailed upon to get into the wagon which had brought
the life-saving crew, and which was now loaded down with the other
boatmen, and many of the passengers from the wreck, and so