The waves had
washed over the building, tearing off the temporary covers, and
churning all within. Planks, scaffolding--everything floatable-had
gone, and strewed the rock with matchwood; and--a marvel to see-one
of his two heaviest winches had been lifted from inside, hurled clean
over the wall, and lay collapsed in the wreckage of its cast-iron
frame. But, so far as he could see, the dovetailed masonry stood
intact. A voice hailed him.

"What a night! What a night!"

It was old Pezzack, aloft on the gallery of the light-house in his
yellow oilers, already polishing the lantern panes.

Taffy's workmen came straggling and gathered about him.
They discussed the damage together but without addressing Taffy;
until a little pock-marked fellow, the wag of the gang, nudged a mate
slily and said aloud--

"By God, Bill, we _can_ build a bit--you and me and the boss!"

All the men laughed; and Taffy laughed too, blushing. Yes; this had
been in his mind. He had measured his work against the sea in its
fury, and the sea had not beaten him.

A cry broke in upon their laughter. It came from the base of the
cliff to the right: a cry so insistent that they ran toward it in a
body.

Far below them, on the edge of a great boulder which rose from the
broken water and seemed to overhang it, stood the rescued sailor. He
was pointing.

Taffy was the first to reach him!

"It's my brother! It's my brother Sam!"

Taffy flung himself full length on the rock and peered over.
A tangle of ore-weed awash rose and fell about its base; and from
under this, as the frothy waves drew back, he saw a man's ankle
protruding, and a foot still wearing a shoe.

"It's my brother!" wailed the sailor again. "I can swear to the shoe
of en!"

CHAPTER XXVI.

SALVAGE.

One of the masons lowered himself into the pool, and thrusting an arm
beneath the ore-weed, began to grope.

"He's pinned here. The rock's right on top of him."

Taffy examined the rock. It weighed fifteen tons if an ounce; but
there were fresh and deep scratches upon it. He pointed these out to
the men, who looked and felt them with their hands and stared at the
subsiding waves, trying to bring their minds to the measure of the
spent gale.

"Here, I must get out of this!" said the man in the pool, as a small
wave dashed in and sent its spray over his bowed shoulders.

"You ban't going to leave en?" wailed the sailor. "You ban't going
to leave my brothe