en ahead. "Up with the helm, lower
the peak, ease away the main-sheet, square away the maintopsail!" cried
Mr Owen, with rapid utterance. The crew quickly obeyed his orders.
The effect of these orders was to take the pressure off the after-part
of the vessel, and round her head flew from the wind and the coming sea.
It struck her, however, and from the way it swept along her side,
tearing away part of her bulwarks, and doing other damage as it came on
board, it was evident that it would have caused far greater disaster had
her bow encountered its full force. On she now flew before the
hurricane, for such it was rather than a common gale. There was no
choice now as to heaving-to. The officers scanned the chart with
anxious eyes. They saw, with regret they could scarcely conceal, that,
unless the gale should cease, no skill of theirs could save the schooner
from destruction, or unless, guided by an unseen Power, she should
thread her way amid the labyrinth of islets and reefs ahead of her.
Night was coming on. There was no moon. The dark clouds shut out all
light from the stars.

On flew the schooner. The unfortunate islanders were invited to come on
deck, that, should the vessel strike suddenly, they might have some
chance of escaping by swimming on shore. The danger was explained to
them through Marco. "We are in the hands of Jehovah," was the answer.
"He will do with us what He sees best."

Through the pitchy darkness the vessel rushed on. More than once the
quick ears of the seamen detected, they thought, the well-known sound of
breakers; but each time the sound died away to leeward: the vessel must
have passed at a distance from them. Hour after hour thus passed by.
How all on board longed for daylight! Yet daylight would only enable
them to see the threatening danger, scarcely to avoid it.

Once more the sound of breakers was heard. This time it was ahead. In
vain, with straining eyeballs, the seamen looked into the darkness to
discover, if they could, whether the breakers were on the starboard or
port bow. All held their breath. The stoutest hearts might then have
quailed. The foretopsail was alone set; to have lowered that would have
caused the vessel to be pooped, and so more speedily to have sealed her
fate. On she flew to destruction. The dreaded crash came. She
quivered from stem to stern. Both the masts went by the board, carrying
several of the seamen with them, as well as the young