he nearest lifeboat was in the Bay of Luce, ten long miles away, but
here was our own broad, roomy craft upon the shingle, and plenty of
brave fisher lads to form a crew. Six of us sprang to the oars, the
others pushed us off, and we fought our way through the swirling, raging
waters, staggering and recoiling before the great, sweeping billows, but
still steadily decreasing the distance between the barque and ourselves.

It seemed, however, that our efforts were fated to be in vain.

As we mounted upon a surge I saw a giant wave, topping all the others,
and coming after them like a driver following a flock, sweep down upon
the vessel, curling its great, green arch over the breaking deck.

With a rending, riving sound the ship split in two where the terrible,
serrated back of the Hansel reef was sawing into her keel. The
after-part, with the broken mizzen and the three Orientals, sank
backwards into deep water and vanished, while the fore-half oscillated
helplessly about, retaining its precarious balance upon the rocks.

A wail of fear went up from the wreck and was echoed from the beach,
but by the blessing of Providence she kept afloat until we made our way
under her bowsprit and rescued every man of the crew.

We had not got half-way upon our return, however, when another great
wave swept the shattered forecastle off the reef, and, extinguishing the
signal light, hid the wild denouement from our view.

Our friends upon the shore were loud in congratulation and praise, nor
were they backward in welcoming and comforting the castaways. They were
thirteen in all, as cold and cowed a set of mortals as ever slipped
through Death's fingers, save, indeed, their captain, who was a hardy,
robust man, and who made light of the affair.

Some were taken off to this cottage and some to that, but the greater
part came back to Branksome with us, where we gave them such dry clothes
as we could lay our hands on, and served them with beef and beer by the
kitchen fire. The captain, whose name was Meadows, compressed his bulky
form into a suit of my own, and came down to the parlour, where he
mixed himself some grog and gave my father and myself an account of the
disaster.

"If it hadn't been for you, sir, and your brave fellows," he said,
smiling across at me, "we should be ten fathoms deep by this time. As to
the _Belinda_, she was a leaky old tub and well insured, so neither the
owners nor I are likely to break our hearts over h