g blast.
The blood rushed wildly through his veins as he shouted--

"Look alive, Bob,--heave!"

Bob Gaston stood up in the bow, and, with a beautiful swing, cast a line
on board, by means of which the boat was hauled alongside. Just at that
moment the mainyard came down with a thundering crash upon the ship's
deck, fortunately injuring no one. At the same time a tremendous billow
broke over the stern of the _Ocean Queen_, and falling into the lifeboat
in a cataract completely sunk her. She rose like a cork, keel
uppermost, and would have righted at once, but a bight of the mainsail,
with some of the wreck, held her down. Her crew, one by one, succeeded
in clambering upon her, and Harry shouted to the men in the ship to hand
him an axe. One was thrown to him which he caught, and began therewith
to cut the wreck of cordage.

"Slit the sail with your knife, Bob Gaston," he cried, but Bob did not
reply. All the other men were there; Bob alone was missing. The
difficulty of acting in such turmoil is not to be easily estimated.
Twenty minutes elapsed before the boat was cleared. When this was
accomplished she righted at once, and Bob Gaston was found sticking to
the bottom of her, inside, having found sufficient air and space there
to keep him alive!

Another moment and Harry Boyns was on the deck of the wreck.

Perhaps the most earnest "Thank God" that ever passed his lips burst
from them when he seized Annie's hand and entreated her to go with him
at once into the boat.

"Stay! hold!" cried Mr Webster, seizing Harry wildly by the sleeve and
whispering to him in quick earnest tones, "Can nothing be done to save
the ship? _All is lost_ if she goes!"

"Hold on a minute, lads," cried Harry to the men in the boat; "are the
pumps working free,--is your ground tackle good?" he added, turning
hastily to the captain.

"Ay, but the men are used up--utterly exhausted."

"Jump aboard, lads," cried Harry to his men.

The men obeyed, leaving four of their number in the boat to keep her off
the ship's side. Under Harry's orders some of them manned the pumps,
while others went to the windlass.

"Come, boys, make one more effort to save the ship," cried Harry to the
fatigued crew; "the tide will rise for another hour, we'll save her yet
if you have pluck to try."

Thus appealed to they all set to work, and hove with such goodwill that
the ship was soon hauled off the sands--an event which was much
accelerated by th