eep her from being blown from the
ropes.

At this point he made a sling for her on the spring-stay, in which she
sat as a child does in a swing. It was adjusted to the big rope so that
it would slip along, and permit her to hold on to the stay with her
hands. The vessel seemed to be so wedged in the rocks or sand, on which
she had struck, that she did not roll, and the only obstacle to a safe
passage from one mast to the other, was the violence of the gale. By
Noddy's careful and skilful management, the transit was made in safety
through the most imminent peril. The descent to the deck, forward, was
more easily accomplished, and the heroic youth soon had the pleasure of
seeing his gentle charge safe, for the present, in the forecastle.

He had worked and won, so far. He was satisfied with the past, and
hopeful of the future. Having conducted Mollie to a safe place, he
turned his attention once more to the situation of the vessel. Looking
over the bow, he discovered the dark, ragged rocks, rising a few feet
above the water, on which she had struck, but he could not see any
land.

CHAPTER XVII.

AFTER THE STORM.

The Roebuck had been built, under the direction of Captain McClintock,
for the voyage around Cape Horn. She was a new vessel, and of extra
strength, and she held together in spite of the hard thumping she
received on the rocks. As she struck, a hole was knocked in her bottom;
but her bow had been forced so far up on the rocks that the water which
she made all settled aft.

With tender care Noddy had wrapped up his frail companion in a pea
jacket he found in the forecastle, and together they waited anxiously
for the morning light. The waves beat fiercely against the side of the
vessel, pounded on the decks as they rolled over the bulwarks; and the
survivors were in continual fear that each moment would witness the
destruction of their ark of safety. Noddy had made the best arrangements
he could for a speedy exit, in case the worst should be realized.

With the first signs of daylight Noddy was on deck endeavoring to obtain
a better knowledge of the location of the wreck. It seemed to him then
that the force of the gale had abated, though the sea was hardly less
savage than it had been during the night. As the day dawned, he
discovered the outline of some dark object, apparently half a mile
distant. He watched this sombre pile till there was light enough to
satisfy him that it was an island.

"Hu