ght she had
been becalmed by the swell; but the change about themselves was too
obvious to admit of any mistake. It blew terribly, again, for a minute;
then there was another lull. Gardiner sprang to the lead-line to see the
effect on his own vessel. She no longer dragged her anchor!

"God is with us!" exclaimed the young master--"blessed for ever be his
holy name."

"And that of his only and _true_ Son," responded a voice from one at his
elbow.

Notwithstanding the emergency, and the excitement produced by this sudden
change, Roswell Gardiner turned to see from whom this admonition had come.
The oldest seaman on board, who was Stimson, a Kennebunk man, and who had
been placed there to watch the schooner's drift, had uttered these unusual
words. The fervour with which he spoke produced more impression on the
young master than the words themselves; the former being very unusual
among sea-faring men, though the language was not so much so.
Subsequently, Gardiner remembered that little incident, which was not
without its results.

"I do believe, sir," cried Hazard, "that the gale is broken. It often
happens, on our own coast, that the south-easters chop round suddenly, and
come out nor'-westers. I hope this will not be too late to save the
Vineyard chap, though he slips down upon them breakers at a most fearful
rate."

"There goes his foresail, again--and here is another lull!" rejoined
Gardiner. "I tell you, Mr. Hazard, we shall have a shift of wind--nothing
short of which could save either of us from these breakers."

"Which comes from the marcy of God Almighty, through the intercession of
his only Son!" added Stimson, with the same fervour of manner, though he
spoke in a very low tone of voice.

Roswell Gardiner was again surprised, and for another moment he forgot the
gale and its dangers. Gale it was no longer, however, for the lull was now
decided, and the two cables of the schooner were distended only when the
roll of the seas came in upon her. This wash of the waves still menaced
the other schooner, driving her down towards the breakers, though less
rapidly than before.

"Why don't the fellow anchor!" exclaimed Gardiner, in his anxiety, all
care for himself being now over. "Unless he anchor, he will yet go into
the white water, and be lost!"

"So little does he think of that, that he is turning out his reefs,"
answered Hazard. "See! there is a hand aloft loosening his topsail--and
there goes up a whole