down into that dreadful abyss
of churning water and foam, into which no one could descend. Ropes were
thrown again and again, but without avail. Either it was too dark to
see, or the wrecked men were paralysed. An occasional shriek was heard
above the roar of the tempest, as, one after another, the exhausted men
fell into the water, or were wrenched from their hold of the piece of
wreck.

At last one man succeeded in catching hold of a rope, and was carefully
hauled up to the top of the cliff.

It was found that this was one of the English sailors. He had taken the
precaution to tie the rope under his arms, poor fellow, having no
strength left to hold on to it; but he was so badly bruised as to be in
a dying state when laid on the grass.

"Keep back and give him air," said Captain Ogilvy, who had taken a
prominent part in the futile efforts to save the crew, and who now
kneeled at the sailor's side, and moistened his lips with a little
brandy.

The poor man gave a confused and rambling account of the circumstances
of the wreck, but it was sufficiently intelligible to make the captain
acquainted with the leading particulars.

"Were there many of your comrades aboard?" he enquired. The dying man
looked up with a vacant expression. It was evident that he did not
quite understand the question, but he began again to mutter in a partly
incoherent manner.

"They're all gone," said he, "every man of 'em but me! All tied
together in the hold. They cast us loose, though, after she struck.
All gone! all gone!"

After a moment he seemed to try to recollect something.

"No," said he, "we weren't all together. They took Ruby on deck, and I
never saw _him_ again. I wonder what they did--"

Here he paused.

"Who, did you say?" enquired the captain with deep anxiety.

"Ruby--Ruby Brand," replied the man.

"What became of him, said you?"

"Don't know."

"Was _he_ drowned?"

"Don't know," repeated the man.

The captain could get no other answer from him, so he was compelled to
rest content, for the poor man appeared to be sinking.

A sort of couch had been prepared for him, on which he was carried into
the town, but before he reached it he was dead. Nothing more could be
done that night, but next day, when the tide was out, men were lowered
down the precipitous sides of the fatal bay, and the bodies of the
unfortunate seamen were sent up to the top of the cliffs by means of
ropes. These ropes cut deep g