psail, with the yards and
all belonging to it. The forestay snapped, the mainsail split, and the
lower yards and foremast were damaged. And when at last, after desperate
efforts, they had succeeded in freeing the ship from the encumbrance of
the fallen rigging, she lay there more than half a wreck, and scarcely
capable of doing more than run before the wind.

They had only the boom-mainsail now, and the forecourse, left; and with
these Salve kept her away--it was the only thing now to be done--until
the growing light should show them whether they had sea-room, or the
dreaded Jutland coast before them. The last, with this westerly gale
blowing, would mean pretty nearly for a certainty stranding upon the
sandbanks and the vessel becoming a wreck.

When it was clear day, they made out Horn's Reef far down to the
south-east; they lay about off Ringkjobing's Fjord, and would require
now to do their utmost to clear the coast. With some difficulty they
succeeded in rigging up a jury-mast, and managed by that means to keep
up a little closer in the wind. But their only chance was that the wind
might go down, or shift a little to the southward, or in the current,
which generally takes a northerly direction here, unless it should set
them in too much under land.

Salve paced restlessly up and down his dismantled deck, where a great
part of the bulwarks and the round-house forward were stove in, whilst
the crew relieved each other two and two at the pumps. They had
evidently sprung a serious leak, which was the more cause for anxiety
that they were returning in ballast, and had no timber cargo to keep
them afloat. He had confided their situation to Elizabeth.

"I am afraid we may be obliged to beach her at some convenient spot," he
said, adding, with a slight quiver in his voice, "we shall lose the
brig."

He laid emphasis upon this, because he didn't wish to tell her the
worst--namely, that this convenient spot was not to be found upon the
whole coast, and that their lives were unmistakably in danger.

Whatever happened, it seemed sufficient for Elizabeth that he was near
her, and there was a look of quiet trust in her face as she turned
towards him that went to his heart; he could not bear it, and turned
away.

The brig and its possible loss did not occupy much of Elizabeth's
thoughts. In the midst of their danger she was absolutely glad at heart
at the thought that by her display of implicit confidence she had
succeede