Still not a sound
reached us. We could distinguish no signal from the shore to give us
hope. Blacker and blacker grew the night. More keenly whistled the
wind. The sea-birds' shriek, echoing it seemed from the caverned rocks,
sounded like a funeral wail. We fancied that many a fierce albatross
was hovering over our heads, to pounce down on us when nature gave way
before our sufferings.

"Harry, Harry!" said Gerard in a low voice, "I don't think I can stand
this much longer. Oh, my poor father! my poor father! how sorry he will
be to think that I should often have done things which I knew would vex
him."

"Silence," said Burkett; "we must try at all events and make ourselves
heard, lest Brand should have failed to reach the shore. Now get ready
for a shout; never fear cracking our voices."

We were just then, as far as we could judge, directly abreast of the
light. Every instant after this would be making our case more hopeless.
How we shouted, again and again! but all we heard in return was the
discordant shriek of the sea-fowl as they flew away startled at the
noise. So we drifted on. In vain we shouted; our voices grew weary,
and we gave it up in despair. Our eyes were still fixed on the light.
We sunk lower and lower. We held on to the boat, but every moment
increased our difficulty in so doing, the wind getting up, or rather we
had drifted into a more exposed part of the channel, and the boat began
to toss about, while the spray beat wildly over us. How long the time
seemed! Every moment was counted as a minute; every minute as an hour.
We had to gripe on to the keel with all our might, or we should have
been washed off. With the greatest difficulty we could retain our hold.
Yet we could still see the light dimly glimmering in the distance; but
as that grew fainter and fainter, so did our hopes of being rescued.
Scarcely could we see the light; dimmer and dimmer it grew; then we
looked--it had disappeared! The rapid current hurried us on. The wide,
storm-tossed Southern Ocean lay spread out before us. Darkness was
around us. No land could be distinguished. Hope of life fled. We all
prayed. We encouraged each other. We resolved not to give way to
despair while life remained. We had to speak in a loud tone to be
heard.

"Silence!" exclaimed Burkett abruptly. "I heard a sound. Yes, yes!
See, see! Heaven be praised; that noble fellow Brand is safe, and we
may yet be saved!" As he spoke