their very lives depended. As Stanley
reached the scene of action, he observed several of the men watching the
small canoe which contained Frank and his two Indians. It had been left
some distance behind by the others, and was now approaching with arrow
speed on the summit of a large wave. Suddenly the top of the billow
curled over, and in another moment the canoe was turned bottom up! Like
a cork it danced on the wave's white crest, then falling beneath the
thundering mass of water, it was crushed to pieces and cast empty upon
the beach. But Frank and his men swam like otters, and the party on
shore watched them with anxious looks as they breasted manfully over the
billows. At last a towering wave came rolling majestically forward. It
caught the three swimmers in its rough embrace, and carrying them along
on its crest, launched them on the beach, where it left them struggling
with the retreating water. Those who have bathed in rough weather on an
exposed coast know well how difficult it is to regain a firm footing on
loose sand while a heavy wave is sweeping backward into its parent
ocean. Frank and the two Indians experienced this; and they might have
struggled there till their strength had been exhausted, were it not for
Stanley, Prince, and Massan, who rushed simultaneously into the water
and rescued them.

As the whole party had now, by the goodness of God, reached the land in
safety, they turned their undivided energies towards the bales and boxes
which were rolling about in the surf. Many of these had been already
collected, and were carried to the spot where Mrs Stanley and Edith lay
under the shelter of a bale. As the things were successively brought up
they were piled around the mother and child, who soon found themselves
pretty well sheltered from the wind, though not from the rain, which
still fell in torrents. Soon after Frank came to them, and said that
all the things were saved, and that it was time to think of getting up
some sort of shelter for the night. This was very much needed, for poor
Edith was beginning to shiver from the wet and cold.

"Now then, Francois, Massan," shouted Frank, "lend a hand here to build
a house for Eda. We'll be all as snug as need be in a few minutes."

Despite the cold and her recent terror, the poor child could not help
smiling at the idea of building a house in a few minutes, and it was
with no little curiosity that she watched the operations of the men.