dfish_, with the waves dashing wildly over her.

Long before this occurred, our hero, Harry Boyns, had been watching the
vessel with considerable anxiety. He little knew who was on board of
her, else would his anxiety have been infinitely increased. But Harry
was one of those men who do not require the spur of self-interest to
keep them alive to duty. He had observed that the ship was in distress,
and, as the honorary secretary of the Lifeboat Branch, he summoned
together the crew of his boat. Thus all was in readiness for action
when the disaster occurred to the _Ocean Queen_.

Instantly the lifeboat was run down to the beach, where hundreds of
willing hands were ready to launch her, for the people had poured out of
the town on the first rumour of what was going on. The crew leaped into
the boat and seized the oars. The launching-ropes were manned. A loud
"Huzzah" was given, and the lifeboat shot forth on her voyage of mercy,
cutting right through the first tremendous billow that met her.

At that time Old Jacob, the coxswain of the boat, happened to be unwell;
Harry himself therefore took the steering-oar, and Bob Gaston was in the
bow. Mr Joseph Dowler chanced to be among the spectators on shore.
That fussy and conceited individual, conceiving it to be a fitting
occasion for the exercise of his tremendous powers, stood upon an
elevated rock and began a wildly enthusiastic speech to which nobody
listened, and in which he urged the lifeboatmen to do their duty in
quite a Nelsonian spirit. Fortunately a sudden gust of wind blew him
off his perch. He fell on his head so that his hat was knocked over his
eyes, and before he was thoroughly extricated from it, the lifeboat was
far from shore, and the men were doing their duty nobly, even although
Mr Dowler's appeal had failed to reach their ears!

It was a tough pull, for wind, waves, and tide combined to beat them
back, but they combined in vain. Inch by inch they advanced, slowly and
laboriously, although it was so bitterly cold that the men had little
feeling in the benumbed hands with which they pulled so gallantly.

At last they reached the vessel, pulled well to windward, cast anchor,
and eased off the cable, until they passed her stern and got under her
lee. Just then Harry looked up and felt as if he had received a shock
from electric fire, for he beheld the pale face of Annie Webster gazing
at him with glowing eyes! No longer did he feel the chillin