er the sands--a distance of
nearly two miles--each moment expecting to be overturned or dashed to
pieces on some of the old wrecks. All this time the noble-hearted
coxswain remained at his post, and Bax stood--hopeless indeed, yet
watchful, beside him.

Suddenly the beating from ridge to ridge ceased. The boat swung into
deep water, and rushed on her wild career over the foam! Those who were
not utterly exhausted noticed the fact, and began to show symptoms of
reviving hope and activity. Others, thoroughly worn out, remained
utterly indifferent to the change.

Yes, the great danger was past! Sail was quickly made. The storm was
still wild as ever, but with sufficient water below her, winds and waves
were powerless for evil to the lifeboat. Rushing through the surf, she
soon gained the harbour of Ramsgate, and all on board were landed in
safety.

Ay, Reader, but the seeds of death had been sown that night. The
boatmen returned to their homes, and the saved passengers and crew of
the "Trident" were cared for by the authorities of the town, but one sad
result was that several of those who had so nobly risked their lives to
save others, never recovered from the effects of the sixteen hours of
exposure to that pitiless storm.

Another and a glorious result was, that a _hundred and twenty souls_
were snatched from a watery grave.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.

HISTORY OF THE LIFEBOAT.

We pause at this point in our story, good reader, to treat you to a
little of what mankind is prone to consider "dry," namely, a chapter of
information and statistics. We dislike sailing under false colours,
therefore we warn you at the outset of the nature of what is to follow.

And yet our subject ought not to be considered dry, for it is
indissolubly connected with salt water, and if human hearts were
suitably affected by the simple statement of facts, drops of salt water
would frequently moisten these pages!

Please, do not skip. _Multum in parvo_ shall be our motto.

Lionel Lukin, a coach-builder in London, was the inventor of the
lifeboat. He took out a patent for it on the 2nd November, 1785, and
wrote a pamphlet on lifeboats, entitled "The Invention, Principles, and
Construction of Insubmergible Boats." His boat was rendered buoyant by
means of a projecting gunwale of cork, and hollow air-cases within it;
one of these being at the head, the other at the stern. It was
ballasted by means of a false iron keel. In th