orward to the bulwark, Captain
Rudstone joining us, and there we waited for a quarter of an hour of
suspense and anxiety.

In spite of the sucking of the pumps, the ship settled steadily, bows
first, and rolled less and less to the waves. It was very dark, and the
wind shrieked and whistled dismally; the rain fell unceasingly, soon
drenching us from head to foot. The worst of it was that we had shortly
to face a deadly peril. The boats were frail, the sea rough, and the
storm-beaten coast of the bay was no great distance off. I had not the
heart to tell Flora how slight was our chance of life, and I do not know
if she suspected it. At all events, she was perfectly calm and
collected.

The men were under control now, and there was little confusion. They
promptly obeyed orders, and Hiram Bunker seemed to be everywhere at
once. We could do nothing but look on, with a growing uneasiness, for
which there was good cause. But at last all was in readiness, and none
too soon, for the bows of the sinking ship were close to the water. It
was from this quarter that the two boats--the longboat and the
jolly-boat--were lowered.

The latter was the smaller, and it was quickly filled by Miss Hatherton,
Captain Rudstone, Baptiste, and I, and four seamen. The first mate, who
had a lantern lashed to his waist, let down some food and then followed
us. The skipper and the rest of the crew occupied the long boat, which
was lowered at the same time from the opposite side. Both craft were
hurriedly thrust off by the aid of boathooks, and there we were on the
open surface of Hudson Bay, exposed to the fury of the storm, and
drifting away into the black maw of the night.

How narrow an escape we had made of it we were quickly to learn, for we
had gone no more than a hundred yards when I heard a bitter cry from
Hiram Bunker, followed by shouts of "Look! Look!" I glanced back from
the stern seat, and at that moment the Speedwell went to her doom. There
was a sound of creaking planks, her bow dipped under and her stern rose
high the air, and then the waves closed over the poop-deck and blotted
out the swinging lantern.

We were beyond the reach of the vortex, and our men pulled hard away
from the fatal spot. The sea grew rougher, and the rain poured in
torrents; we were compelled to keep bailing the water out. The
wind-lashed gap between the two boats widened swiftly, and in a short
time the long boat was lost to sight in the darkness. Again