nt up a great shout
to God for strength to enable him to save the perishing! Those loud
prayers were drowned by the roaring tempest, but, though unheard by man,
they did not fail to enter the ears of Him who rules in earth and
Heaven.

Once the hero was thrown headlong on a rock, and so severely bruised
that he lost hold of the rope, and when swept off again was left
foundering in the foam. His comrades could barely see that something
had happened to him, and a loud cry of consternation arose when they
felt the line run light and slack. But our hero caught it again, and
the cry was changed to a cheer as they ran him out to the vessel's side.

He was soon on board, and saw at a glance what was the matter. The crew
of the brig, being benumbed by long exposure, had not strength to tie
the heavy cable round the mast. This the Coastguardsman did for them at
once, and, as he did so, observed that there were two little girls among
the crew. Then he gave a well-understood signal with a ship's lantern
to the men on shore, who fastened a slung lifebuoy to their whip line,
hung it by a block to the thick cable, and ran it quickly out to the
wreck.

There was no time to lose now. Our hero seized the two little girls and
put them into the bag which hung from the circular lifebuoy.

"Take care of my darlings," gasped the captain of the brig, who clung to
the ship's side almost quite exhausted.

"Come, get into the buoy, and go ashore with 'em yourself," cried our
hero.

"No. The three of us would be too heavy; send the steward. He's a
light man and brave," replied the captain.

The steward was ordered to jump on the buoy and cling to it, so as to
guard the little ones and prevent their being thrown out.

A signal having been again given with the lantern, the lifebuoy was
drawn swiftly to land. It was a terrible passage, for the brig had
begun to roll on her rocky bed, and at every roll the hawser and the
lifebuoy dipped into the sea, or were jerked violently out of it, while
the risk of being let drop on the black rocks that came grinning to the
surface was very great.

But all went well. The three were received on the rocks with cheers,
and conveyed up the cliffs to the Coastguard-house above, where warm
welcome and shelter awaited them. The cheers were not heard by those in
the wreck, but the re-appearance of the lifebuoy proved that the
children had been saved, and a deep "Thanks be to God!" burst from their