wake,
and soon the thunder of the breakers became audible.

Salve was pale, but perfectly calm, as he stood there with the
speaking-trumpet, after having taken over the command, and with the
captain and mate by his side. But all of a sudden great beads of
perspiration came out on his forehead. There was something curiously
irregular about the light. It had become dim and red, and then seemed to
go out altogether. Had he by any possibility made a mistake? and was he
now sailing the Juno with all on board straight for the rocks?

The uncertainty lasted for a quarter of an hour, and never in his life
had Salve seen so heavy a countenance as that with which Beck, whose
expression discovered a trace of doubt, looked at him, evidently
hesitating whether he should not take the command again himself.

But in the mean time the gleam of light shone forth again--whatever
might have been the cause of its obscuration--and that night Salve
Kristiansen brought the Juno safely into Merdoe.

CHAPTER VII.

Out on Little Torungen meanwhile noteworthy events had occurred, which
were now the talk of the town.

Old Jacob had had a stroke the week before, and had died the same night
the Juno had had her wrestle for life. In the preceding two days of fog
and storm they had heard many signal-guns of distress, and his
granddaughter had during that time kept up the fire alone at night. It
was only as he was drawing his last breath, and she sat by his side and
bent over him, forgetful of aught else, that it was for a while
neglected; and it was this little moment that had caused Salve such a
_mauvais quart d'heure_ on board the Juno. On the following day, in her
despair, she had attempted a perilous journey over the drift ice to
bring people out to her assistance, and had been taken up by a boat and
brought in by it to Arendal.

The poor girl was far too much occupied with her grief for the loss of
her grandfather to think in the remotest degree of making her story
interesting. But Carl Beck, in his enthusiasm, knew very well how to
give the incident a colouring of romance, and she was very soon exalted
into the heroine of the hour. It was talked of at the Amtmand's--a house
with two handsome daughters, where Lieutenant Beck was a daily
visitor--and it was in everybody's mouth how, all alone out on Torungen
with her dying grandfather, she had been the means of saving the Juno,
and had since risked her life on the ice. Every one cou