r bowsprit remained. Her maintop-mast-yard was still crossed;
but the sail, torn to ribbons, now fluttered in the wind, and not
another inch of canvas had she set.

"She looks dreadfully knocked about," observed the captain. "And from
the way she rolls in the trough of the sea, there can be no doubt that
she is water-logged. If it were not for the signal flying, I should
scarcely expect to find anyone on board."

We had as much sail set as we could venture to carry, so that we could
not make greater speed towards her; but the squalls increased in number,
and night was coming on, so that we began to fear that we should be
unable to get up to her before darkness hid her from our sight. Even
when we had got up to her, unless she had her own boats, short-handed as
we were, with a heavy sea running, we could scarcely hope to render her
much assistance. Still Captain Gale was not the man to neglect making
the attempt. Some, I am sorry to say, would have sailed on their way,
and allowed any poor wretches who might have been on the wreck to perish
miserably. As we approached the wreck, we could just distinguish
through the driving mists and thickening gloom of night, several human
beings leaning against the stumps of her masts, or sitting on her deck
eagerly waving to us. The captain on seeing them exclaimed--

"Peter, we must do something to save those poor fellows."

"I should think: so, sir," was the answer. "If you let me have a boat,
with Jack there, and one hand besides, I'll undertake to get on board
and bring them off. I know that it would leave you terribly
short-handed if we were lost; but I don't think that there's any chance
of that, and I'm sure that we shall be protected in doing what's right."

"You shall have your way, Peter; I cannot refuse you," exclaimed the
captain, warmly. "We'll heave the brig to to leeward of the wreck, so
that if you can manage to get the poor fellows into the boat, you can
with less difficulty drop aboard of us again."

According to this plan, we ran under the stern of the ship and rounded
to. I never saw a more complete wreck yet floating on the surface. Her
entire bulwarks, her boats, caboose, booms--indeed everything on deck--
had been completely carried away, and the sea even now occasionally
washed entirely over her. It was not an easy matter to lower our boat,
but it was done without an accident; and Peter, Andrew Blair, a fine
young fellow, and I, pulled away i