done aboard
the _Grosvenor_ if things aren't mended soon, as you'll see."

They all four pulled at their oars savagely as these words were spoken;
and I never saw such sullen and ferocious expressions on men's faces as
came into theirs, as they fixed their eyes as with one accord upon the
ship. _She_, deep as she was, looked a beautiful model on the mighty
surface of the water, rolling with marvelous grace to the swell, the
strength and volume of which made me feel my littleness and weakness as
it lifted the small boat with irresistible power. There was wind
enough to keep her sails full upon her graceful, slender masts, and the
brass-work upon her deck flashed brilliantly as she rolled from side to
side.

Strange contrast, to look from her to the broken and desolate picture
ahead! My eyes were riveted upon it now with new and intense emotion,
for by this time I could discern that the person who was waving to us
was a female,--woman or girl I could not yet make out,--and that her
hair was like a veil of gold behind her swaying arm.

"It's a woman!" I cried in my excitement; "it's no man at all. Pull
smartly, my lads! pull smartly, for God's sake!"

The men gave way stoutly, and the swell favoring us, we were soon close
to the wreck. The girl, as I now perceived she was, waved her
handkerchief wildly as we approached; but my attention was occupied in
considering how we could best board the wreck without injury to the
boat. She lay broadside to us, with her stern on our right, and was
not only rolling heavily with wallowing, squelching movements, but was
swirling the heavy mizzenmast that lay alongside through the water each
time she went over to starboard; so that it was necessary to approach
her with the greatest caution to prevent our boat from being stove in.
Another element of danger was the great flood of water which she took
in over her shattered bulwarks, first on this side, then on that,
discharging the torrent again into the sea as she rolled. This water
came from her like a cataract, and in a second would fill and sink the
boat, unless extreme care were taken to keep clear of it.

I waved my hat to the poor girl, to let her know that we saw her and
had come to save her, and steered the boat right around the wreck, that
I might observe the most practical point for boarding her.

She appeared to be a vessel of about seven hundred tons. The falling
of her masts had crushed her port bulwarks level wit