n dragged on to
the low sandy shore.

"We'll try again," they said, in quiet but determined voices.

"Let the youngsters go," said Coomber, as two or three married men
pressed forward; "them as has got wives ain't no call to go on such a
trip as this. There'll be enough of us; there's me and Bob, and Rook and
White came with us a purpose, and----"

"But how about your wife, Coomber?" interrupted one of the men.

"Oh, never you fear, lads; she'll not grudge me if I save her boy. Now,
lads, look here; seven of us'll be enough, and we've got four."

There were so many volunteers for the three vacant places, that the men
seemed on the point of quarrelling among themselves now for the
privilege of joining in this dangerous errand; but by common consent
Coomber was constituted the leader of the party, and he chose three of
the most stalwart of the single men, and the rest were allowed to run
the boat down through the surf. Then, with a loud cheer from all who
stood on the shore, the seven brave men bent to their oars, and during a
slight lull in the wind, they made a little headway towards the wreck.
But the next minute they were beaten back again, and the boat well-nigh
swamped. Again they pushed off, but again were they driven back; and
five times was this repeated, and thus an hour was lost in the fruitless
endeavour to get away from the shore. At length the fury of the storm
somewhat abated, and they were able to get away, but it was a long time
before they could get near the dangerous bar sands, on which the vessel
had struck, and when they did get there, the ship had disappeared. There
was plenty of wreckage about--broken spars, fragments of masts and torn
sail-cloth.

"We're too late," groaned one of the men, as he peered through the
darkness, trying to descry the hull of the vessel. They had not heard
the guns or seen a rocket thrown up for some time.

"They're all gone, poor fellows," said another, sadly; "we may as well
go back now, before the gale freshens again."

"Oh, stop a bit; we'll look among this rubbish, and see what there is
here; perhaps some of them are holding on to the floating timber," said
Coomber, who had frequently been out on a similar errand.

They raised their voices together, and cried "Hi! hi!" trying to
outscream the wind; but it was of no use; there was no answering call
for help, and after waiting about for some time, and going as near to
the dangerous sands as they dared, they at