第18章

Shekeptherselfbusyaboutthehouseallthemorning；ateherlunchinsolitude。Outside，thefiercewind，risinginacrescendoshriek，howledaroundtheeaves。Thedaydarkened，butnorainfell。AtlastCarrollresolvedtotakeherhusband’sadvice。ShestoppedforMinaHeinzman，andthetwowalkedaroundtothestable，wherethemenharnessedoldPrinceintothephaeton。

Theydrove，thewindattheirbacks，acrossthedrawbridge，pasttheship—yards，andoutbeyondthemillstotheMarshRoad。There，oneithersidethecauseway，milesandmilesofcat—tailsandreedsbentandrecoveredunderthesnatchesofthewind。Hereandthereshowedglimpsesofpondsorlittleinlets，thesurfaceofthewaterruffledanddarkblue。Occasionallyoneofthesebayousswunginacrosstheroad。Thenthetwogirlscouldseeplainlythefan—likecat’s—pawsskitteringhereandthereasthoughpanic—strickenbytheswooping，invisiblemonsterthatpursuedthem。

CarrollandMinaHeinzmanhadagoodtime。Theylikedeachotherverymuch，andalwayssawagreatdealtolaughatinthethingsaboutthemandinthesubjectsaboutwhichtheytalked。When，however，theyturnedtowardhome，theywereforcedsilentbythemightypowerofthewindagainstthem。Thetearsranfromtheireyesasthoughtheywerecrying；theyhadtolowertheirheads。

HardlycouldCarrollcommandvisionclearenoughtoseetheroadalongwhichshewasdriving。Thiswasreallyunnecessary，forPrincewasbuffetedtoawalk。Thustheycrawledalonguntiltheyreachedtheturn—bridge，wheretheright—angledchangeindirectiongavethemrelief。Theriverwasfullofchoppywaves，considerableinsize。Astheycrossed，theSPRITEdartedbeneaththem，loweringhersmokestackasshewentunderthebridge。

TheyenteredMainStreet，wherewasagreatbangingandclangingofswingingsignsandafewlooseshutters。Allthesidewalkdisplaysofvegetablesandothergoodshadbeentakenin，andthedoors，customarilywideopen，werenowshutfast。Thisalonelenttothestreetquiteadesertedair，whichwasemphasisedbythefactthatactuallynotarigofanysortstoodatthecurbs。Uptheemptyroadwaywhirledoneaftertheothercloudsofdusthurriedbythewind。

"Iwonderwhereallthefarmers’wagonsare？"marvelledthepracticalMina。"SurelytheywouldnotstayhomeSaturdayafternoonjustforthiswind！"

OppositeRandall’shardwarestorehercuriosityquitemasteredher。

"Dostop！"sheurgedCarroll。"Iwanttoruninandseewhat’sthematter。"

Shewasgonebutamoment，andreturned，hereyesshiningwithexcitement。

"Oh，Carroll！"shecried，"therearethreevesselsgoneashoreoffthepiers。Everybody’sgonetosee。"

"Jumpin！"saidCarroll。"We’lldriveout。Perhapsthey’llgetoutthelife—savingcrew。"

Theydroveuptheplankroadoverthesand—hill，throughthebeechwoods，tothebluffabovetheshore。Inthewoodstheyweresomewhatshelteredfromthewind，althougheventherethecrashoffallingbranchesandthewhirloftwigsanddeadleavesadvertisedthatthepowersoftheairwereabroad；butwhentheytoppedthelastrise，theunobstructedblastfromtheopenLakehitthemsquarebetweentheeyes。

Probablyahundredvehiclesofalldescriptionswerehitchedtotreesjustwithinthefringeofwoods。Carroll，however，drovestraightaheaduntilPrincestoodatthetopoftheplankroadthatleddowntothebathhouses。Hereshepulledup。

Carrollsawthelake，slateblueandangry，withwhite—cappedbillowstothelimitofvision。Alongtheshorewererowsandrowsofbreakers，leaping，breaking，andgatheringagain，untiltheywerelostinatumbleofwhitefoamthatrushedandrecededonthesands。

Thesedidnotlooktobeverylargeuntilshenoticedthetwinpiersreachingoutfromtheriver’smouth。Eachbillow，asitcamein，rosesullenlyabovethem，broketempestuouslytooverwhelmtheentirestructureoftheirends，andrippedinshorealongtheirlengths，thecrestsubmergingasitraneveryfootofthemassivestructures。Thepiersandthelight—housesattheirendslookedlikelittletoys，andthecompactblackcrowdofpeopleontheshorebelowwereassmallasBobby’stinsoldiers。

"Lookthere——outfarther！"pointedMina。

Carrolllooked，androsetoherfeetinexcitementThreelittletoyships——orsotheyseemedcomparedtothemountainsofwater——laybroadside—to，justinsidethefarthestlineofbreakers。Twoweresailingschooners。Thesehadbeenthrownontheirbeamends，theirmastspointingatanangletowardthebeach。

Eachwave，asitreached，stirredthematrifle，thenbrokeinadelugeofwaterthatforamomentcoveredtheirhullscompletelyfromsight。Withamightysuctionthebillowdrainedaway，carryingwithitwreckage。Thethirdvesselwasasteambarge。She，too，wasbroadsidetotheseas，buthadcaughtinsomeholeinthebarsothatshelayfardownbythehead。Theshorewardsideofherupperworkshad，forsomefreakishreason，givenawayfirst，sonowtheinteriorofherstateroomsandsaloonswasexposedtoviewasinthecross—sectionofamodelship。Overher，too，thegreatwaveshurledthemselves，eachcarryingawayitsspoil。ToCarrollitseemedfantasticallyasthoughthebargeweremadeofsugar，andthateachseameltedherpreciselyasBobbylovedtomeltthelumpinhischocolatebyraisingandloweringitinaspoon。

Andthequeerpartofitallwasthatthesewaves，somightyintheireffects，appearedtothewomannodifferentfromthoseshehadoftenwatchedinthelightsummerblowsthatforafewhoursraisethe"whitecaps"onthelake。Theycameinfromtheopeninthesameswiftyetdeliberateranks；theygatheredwiththesameleisurelypauses；theybrokewiththesamerushandroar。Theyseemednolarger，buteverythingelsehadbeenstrucksmall——thetinyships，thetoypiers，theant—likeswarmofpeopleontheshore。Shelookedonitasaspectacle。Ithadasyetnohumansignificance。

"Poorfellows！"criedMina。

"What？"askedCarroll。

"Don’tyouseethem？"queriedtheother。

Carrolllooked，andintheriggingoftheschoonershemadeoutanumberofblackobjects。

"Arethosemen？——upthemasts？"shecried。

ShesetPrinceinmotiontowardthebeach。

Atthefootoftheblufftheplankroadranoutintothedeepsand。

Throughthisthephaetonmadeitswayheavily。Thefineparticleswereblownintheairlikeaspray，minglingwiththespumefromthelake，stingingCarroll’sfacelikesomanyneedles。Alreadythebeachwasstrewnwithpiecesofwreckage，someofitcasthighabovethewash，othersstillthrownupandsuckedbackbyeachwave，othersagainrisingandfallinginthebillows。Thiswreckageconstitutedamiscellaneousjumble，althoughmostofitwaslumberfromthedeck—loadsofthevessels。Intermingledwiththesplitandbrokenyellowboardswerebitsofcarvingandofpaintedwood。

Carrollsawonepiecehalfburiedinthesandwhichboreingilttwohugeletters，AR。Alittlefarther，bentandtwisted，projectedtheornamentalspearwhichhadpointedthewaybeforethesteamer’sbow。Portionsoftheusualmiscellaneousfreightcargocarriedoneveryvoyagewerescatteredalongtheshore——boxes，barrels，andcrates。Fiveorsixmenhadrolledawhiskybarrelbeyondthereachofthewater，hadbroachedit，andnowweredrinkinginturnfromabrokenanddingyfragmentofabeer—schooner。Theywereverydirty；

theirhairhadfallenovertheireyes，whichwerebloodshot；theexpressionoftheirfaceswasimbecile。Asthephaetonpassed，theyhaileditsoccupantsinthickvoices，shoutingagainstthewindmaudlininvitationstodrink。

ThecrowdgatheredatthepiercomprisedfullyhalfthepopulationofMonrovia。Itcentredaboutthelifesavingcrew，whosemortarwasbeingloaded。Astove—inlifeboatmutelyattestedthefailureofotherefforts。Themenworkedbusily，ramminghomethepowdersack，placingtheprojectilewiththelightlineattached，attendingthatthereelranfreely。Theirchiefwatchedtheseasandwindsthroughhisglasses。Whenthepreparationswerefinished，headjustedthemortar，andpulledthestring。Carrollhadseenthisdoneinpractice。Now，withtherecollectionofthatexperienceinmind，shewasastonishedatthefeeblereportofthepiece，anditsfreedomfromthedensewhitecloudsofsmokethatshouldhaveenvelopedit。Thewindsnatchedbothnoiseandvapourawayalmostassoonastheywereborn。Thedartwithitstraileroflineroseonalonggracefulcurve。Thereelsang。Everymemberofthecrowdunconsciouslyleanedforwardinattention。Buttheresistanceofthewindandthelineearlymadeitselffelt。Slowerandslowerhummedthereel。Therecameatimewhenthemissileseemedtohesitate，thenfairlytostandinequilibrium。Finally，inanincreasinglyabruptcurve，itdescendedintothesea。Byagoodthreehundredyardstheshothadfailedtocarrythelineoverthevessels。

"There’sMr。Bradford，"saidCarroll，wavingherhand。"Iwishhe’dcomeandtellussomethingaboutit。"

Thebanjo—playingvillageBrummellsawthesignalandcame，hisfacegrave。

"Couldn’ttheygetthelifeboatsouttothem？"askedCarrollasheapproached。

"Youseethatone，"saidBradford，pointing。"Well，theother’sinkindlingwoodfartherupthebeach。"

"Anybodydrowned？"askedMinaquickly。

"No，wegot’emout。Mr。Cam’sshoulderisbroken。"Heglanceddownathimselfcomically，andthegirlsforthefirsttimenoticedthatbeneaththeheavyovercoathisgarmentsweredripping。

"Butsurelythey’llnevergetalineoverwiththemortar！"saidCarroll。"Thatlastshotfellsofarshort！"

"Theyknowit。They’veshotadozentimes。Mightaswelldosomething。"

"Ishouldthink，"saidMina，"thatthey’dshootfromtheendofthepier。They’dbeeversomuchnearer。"

"Triedit，"repliedBradfordsuccintly。"Nearlylostthewholebusiness。"

Nobodysaidanythingforsometime，butalllookedhelplesslytowherethevessels——fromthiselevationinsignificantamongthetumblingwaters——werepoundingtopieces。

Atthismomentfromtheriveratrailofblacksmokebecamevisibleoverthepointofsand—hillthatrandowntothepier。Asmokestackdartedintoview，sloweddown，andcametorestwellinsidetheriver—channel。Thereitroseandfellregularlyundertheinfluenceoftheswellthatswunginfromthelake。Thecrowdutteredacheer，andstreamedinthedirectionofthesmokestack。

"Comeandseewhat’sup，"suggestedBradford。

HehitchedPrincetoalogstickingupatananglefromthesand，andledthewaytothepier。

Theretheyhaddifficultyingettingcloseenoughtosee；butBradford，precedingthetwowomen，succeededbypatienceanddiplomacyinforcingaway。TheSPRITEwaslyingcloseunderthepier，thetopofherpilot—housejustaboutlevelwiththefeetofthepeoplewatchingher。Sheroseandfellwiththerestlesswaters。Fatrope—yarnbumpersinterposedbetweenhersidesandthepiling。Thepilot—housewasempty，butHarvey，thenegroengineer，leaned，elbowscrossedagainstthesillofhislittlesquaredoor，smokinghispipe。

"Iwouldn’tgooutthereforamilliondollars！"criedamanexcitedlytoCarrollandBradford。"Nothingonearthcouldliveinthatsea！Nothing！I’verunatugmyselfinmytime，andIknowwhatI’mtalkingabout！"

"Whataretheygoingtodo？"askedCarroll。

"Haven’tyouheard！"criedtheother，turningtoher。"Whereyoubeen？ThisisoneofOrde’stugs，andshe’sgoingtotrytogetalinetothemvessels。ButIwouldn’t——"

Bradforddidnotwaitforhimtofinish。Heturnedabruptly，andwithanairofauthoritybrushedtowardthetug，followedcloselybyCarrollandMina。Attheedgeofthepierwasthetug’scaptain，Marsh，listeningtoearnestexpostulationbyahalf—dozenoftheleadingmenofthetown，amongwhomwerebothNewmarkandOrde。

AsthethreecamewithinearshotCaptainMarshspitforththestumpofcigarhehadbeenchewing。

"Gentlemen，"saidhecrisply，"thatisn’tthequestion。IthinkI

candoit；andI’mentirelywillingtotakeallpersonalrisks。Thethingishazardousandit’sMr。Orde’stug。It’sforhimtosaywhetherhewantstoriskher。"

"GoodLord，man，what’sthetuginacaselikethis！"criedOrde，whowasstandingnear。Carrolllookedathimproudly，butshedidnotattempttomakeherpresenceknown。

"Ithoughtso，"repliedCaptainMarsh。"Soit’ssettled。I’lltakeherout，ifIcangetacrew。Harvey，stepuphere！"

Theengineerslowlyhoistedhislongfigurethroughthebreast—highdoorway，draggedhislegsunderhim，thenwithextraordinaryagilityswungtothepier，histeethshininglikeivoryinhisblackface。

"Yas，suh！"saidhe。

"Harvey，"saidCaptainMarshbriskly，"we’reingbackandup，shotwithterrificimpactagainstthehouseandbeyond。Foraninstantthelittlecraftseemedburied；butalmostimmediatelythegleamofherblackhullshowedherplungingforwarddauntlessly。

"That’snothin’！"saidthetugcaptainwhohadfirstspoken。"Wait’tilshegetsoutside！"Thewatchersstreameddownfromthepierforabetterview。CarrollandMissHeinzmanfollowed。Theysawthestaunchlittlecraftdriveintothreebigseas，eachofwhichappearedtoburyhercompletely，saveforherupperworks。Shemanaged，however，tokeepherheadway。

"Shecanstandthat，allright，"saidoneofthelife—savingcrewwhohadbeenwatchinghercritically。"Thetroublewillcomewhenshedropsdowntothevessels。"

Inspiteoftheheavysmashingofhead—onseastheSPRITEheldhercoursestraightout。

"Where’sshegoing，anyway？"marvelledlittleMr。Smith，thestationer。"She’sawaybeyondthewrecksalready。"

"ProbablyMarshhasfoundtheseasheavierthanhethoughtandisafraidtoturnherbroadside，"guessedhiscompanion。

"Afraid，hell！"snortedarivermanwhooverheard。

NeverthelesstheSPRITEwasnowsodistantthattheloomofthegreatseasonthehorizonswallowedherfromview，savewhensheroseonthecrestofsomemightybillow。

"Well，whatishedoing’wayouttherethen？"challengedMr。Smith’sfriendwithsomeasperity。

"Do’no，"repliedgoingtotrytogetalineaboardthosevesselsoutthere。It’sdangerous。Youdon’thavetogoifyoudon’twantto。Willyougo？"

Harveyremovedhiscapandscratchedhiswool。Thegrinfadedfromhisgood—naturedcountenance。

"You—allgoin’，suh？"heasked。

"Ofcourse。"

"IreckonI’lldonehaiftogo，too，"saidHarveysimply。Withoutfurtherwordheswunglightlybacktotheuneasycraftbelowhim，andbegantotosstheslabsfromthedeckintothehold。

"Iwantamanwithmeatthewheel，twotohandlethelines，andonetofireforHarvey，"saidCaptainMarshtothecrowdingeneral。

"That’sourjob，"announcedthelife—savingcaptain。

"Well，comeonthen。Nouseindelay，"saidCaptainMarsh。

Thefourmenfromthelife—savingservicedroppedaboard。Thefivethenwentoverthetugfromstemtostern，tossingasideallmovables，andlashingtightallessentials。Fromthepilot—houseCaptainMarshdistributedlifepreservers。Harveydeclinedhis。

"Whaf—forIwantdat？"heinquired。"Lotsofgoodhegwinedomedownhere！"

Thenallhatcheswerebatteneddown。CaptainMarshreacheduptoshakethehandwhichOrde，stooping，offeredhim。

"I’lltrytobringherbackallright，sir，"saidhe。

"Tohellwiththetug！"criedOrde，impatientatthisinsistenceonthemerepropertyaspect。"Bringyourselfback。"

CaptainMarshdeliberatelylitanothercigarandenteredthepilot—

housewiththeothermen。

"Castoff！"hecried；andthesilentcrowdheardclearlythesinglesharpbellringingforattention，andthenthe"jangler"thatcalledforfullspeedahead。Awed，theywatchedthetinysturdycraftmoveoutintothestreamandpointtothefuryoftheopenlake。

"Bravechaps！Bravechaps！"saidDr。McMullentoCarrollastheyturnedaway。Thephysiciandrewhistallslenderfiguretoitsheight。"Bravechaps，everyoneofthem。But，doyouknow，tomymind，thebravestofthemallarethatnigger——andhisfireman——

naileddownintheholdwheretheycan’tseenorknowwhat’sgoingon，andif——if——"thegooddoctorblewhisnosevigorouslyfiveorsixtimes——"well，it’sjustlikearatinahole。"Heshookhisheadvigorouslyandlookedouttosea。"Ireadlastevening，sir，"

saidhetoBradford，"inablastedfoolmedicaljournalItake，thattheraceisdegenerating。GoodGod！"

Thetughadroundedtheendofthepier。Thefirstofherthousandenemies，sweepinginfromtheopen，hadstruckherfair。Agreatsheetofwhitewater，slanttheriverman，"butwhateveritis，it’sallrightaslongasBuckMarshisatthewheel。"

"There，she’sturnednow，"Mr。Smithinterposed。

Beneaththetrailofblacksmokeshehadshifteddirection。AndthenwithstartlingswiftnesstheSPRITEdartedoutofthehorizonintofullview。Forthefirsttimethespectatorsrealisedthesizeandweightoftheseas。Noteventhesullenpoundingtopiecesofthevesselsonthebarhadsoimpressedthemasthesightofthetugcoastingwithrailroadspeeddowntherushofacomberlikeachild’stoy—boatinthesurf。Onemomentthewholeofherdeckwasvisibleasshewasbornewiththewave；thenextherbowaloneshowedhighasthebacksuctioncaughtheranddraggedherfromthecrestintothehollow。Asearosebehind。Nothingofthetugwastobeseen。Itseemedthatnopowerorskillcouldpreventherfeelingoverwhelmed。Yetsomehowalwaysshestaggeredoutofthegulfuntilshecaughttheforceofthebillowandwasagaincastforwardlikeachip。

Maybetheyain’tcatchin’p’ticularhellatthatwheeltoholdherfromyawing！"mutteredthetugcaptaintohisneighbour，whohappenedtobeMr。Duncan，theminister。

AlmostbeforeCarrollhadtimetoseethatthelittlecraftwascomingin，shehadarrivedattheouterlineofbreakers。Herethecombers，draggedbythebarunderneath，crested，curledover，andfellwitharoar，justasinmilderweatherthesurfbreaksonthebeach。WhentheSPRITErushedatthisouterlineofwhite—water，awomaninthecrowdscreamed。

ButattheedgeofdestructiontheSPRITEcametoashudderingstop。

Herpowerfulpropellershadbeensettothereverse。Theycouldnotholdheragainsttheforwardflingofthewater，butwhatshelostthussheregainedontheseawardslopesofthewavesandintheirhollows。Thusshehoveredontheedgeofthebreakers，awaitingherchance。

Aslongastheseasrolledinsteadily，andnothingbroke，shewassafe。Butifoneofthewavesshouldhappentocrestandbreak，asmanyofthemdid，theweightofwatercatchingthetugonherflat，broadsterndeckwouldindubitablyburyher。Thesituationwasawfulinitsextremesimplicity。WouldCaptainMarshseehisopportunitybeforethelawofchanceswouldbringalongthewavethatwouldoverwhelmhim？

Arealisationofthecrisiscametothecrowdonthebeach。Atoncetheterriblestrainofsuspensetuggedattheirsouls。Eachconductedhimselfaccordingtohisnature。Thehardymenoftheriverandthewoodssettheirteethuntilthecheekmusclesturnedwhite，andblasphemedsoftlyandsteadily。Twoorthreeofthetownsmenwalkedupanddownthespaceofadozenfeet。One，thewomanwhohadscreamed，prayedaloudinshorthystericalsentences。

"OGod！Savethem，OLord！OLord！"

Ordestoodontopofahalf—buriedlog，hishatinhishand，hisentirebeingconcentratedonthemanoeuvrebeingexecuted。OnlyNewmarkapparentlyremainedascalmasever，leaningagainstanuprighttimber，hisarmsfolded，andanunlightedcigarasusualbetweenhislips。

Methodicallyeveryfewmomentsheremovedhiseyeglassesandwipedthelensesfreeofspray。

Suddenly，withoutwarning，occurredoneofthoseinexplicablelullsthatinterposeoftenamidthewildestuproars。Forthebriefestinstantothersoundsthantheroarofthewindandsurfwerepermittedthemultitudeonthebeach。Theyheardthegrindingoftimbersfromthestrickenships，andthedrainingawayofwaters。

Anddistinctlytheyheardthefaint，fartinkleofthejanglercallingagainfor"fullspeedahead。"

BetweentwowavestheSPRITEdartedforwarddirectlyforthenearestofthewrecks。Straightasanarrow’sflightshehelduntilfromthecrowdwentupagroan。

"She’llcollide！"someoneputitintowords。

Butatthelatestmomentthetugswerved，racedpast，andturnedonalongdiagonalacrosstheendofthebartowardthepiers。

CaptainMarshhadchosenhismomentwithexactitude。Totheutmosthehadtakenadvantageofthebrieflullofjumbledseasafterthe"threelargestwaves"hadsweptby。Yetinshallowwaterandwiththestronginshoreset，eventhatlullwasalltooshort。TheSPRITEwasstaggeredbythebuffetsofthesmallerbreakers；herspeedwaschecked，hersternwasdraggedaround。Foraninstantitseemedthatthebacksuctionwouldholdherinitsgrip。Shetoreherselffromthegraspofthecurrent。Envelopedinablindinghailofsprayshestruggleddesperatelytoextricateherselffromthemaelstrominwhichshewasinvolvedbeforetheresumptionofthelargerseasshouldrollheroverandovertodestruction。

Alreadytheselargerseaswereracinginfromtheopen。ToCarroll，watchingbreathlessandwide—eyedinthatstrangepassiveandreceptivestatepeculiartoimaginativenatures，theyseemedalive。

AndtheSPRITE，too，appearedtobe，notafabricandamechanismcontrolledbymen，butasentientcreaturestrugglinggallantlyonherownvolition。

Faroutinthelakeagainstthetumblinghorizonshesawheaveupforasecondtheshoulderofamightywave。Andinstinctivelysheperceivedthiswaveasadeadlyenemyofthelittletug，andsawitbendingallitsgreatenergiestohurryinginontimetocatchthevictimbeforeitcouldescape。Tothiswaveshegaveallherattention，watchingforitafterithadsunkmomentarilybelowitsfellows，recognisingitinstantlyasitroseagain。Thespasmsofdismayandreliefamongthecrowdabouthershedidnotshareatall。Thecrisestheyindicateddidnotexistforher。Untilthewavecamein，Carrollknew，theSPRITE，nomatterhowbatteredandtossed，wouldbesafe。Herwholebeingwasconcentratedinacontinuallyshiftingcalculationoftherespectivedistancesbetweenthetugandthepiers，thetugandtherelentlesslyadvancingwave。

"Oh，go！"sheexhortedtheSPRITEunderherbreath。

Thenthecrowd，too，caughtwithitsslowerperceptionstheimportofthewave。Carrollfelttheelectricthrillofapprehensionshiverthroughit。Hugeandtowering，greenandfleckedwithfoamthewavecameonnowcalmlyanddeliberatelyasthoughsure。TheSPRITEwasofftheendofthepierwhenthewaveliftedher，justinthepositionherenemywouldhaveselectedtocrushherlifeoutagainstthecribs。Slowlythetugroseagainstitsshoulder，wasliftedonward，poised；andthenwithaswiftforwardthrustthewavebroke，smotheringthepierandlighthousebeneathtonsofwater。

Alow，agonisedwailbrokefromthecrowd。Andthen——andthen——overbeyondthepierdownwhichthewave，brokenandspentbutformidablestill，wasrippingitsway，theysawglidingabatteredblackstackfromwhichstillpoureddefiantlycloudsofgraysmoke。

Fortensecondsthespectatorscouldnotbelievetheireyes。TheyhaddistinctlyseentheSPRITEcaughtbetweenaresistlesswallofwaterandthepier；wheresheshouldhavebeencrushedliketheproverbialegg—shell。Yetthereshewas——orherghost。

Thenagreatcheerroseupagainstthewind。Thecrowdwentcrazy。

Mereacquaintanceshuggedeachotheranddancedaroundandaroundthroughtheheavysands。Severalwomenhadhysterics。TherivermannexttoMr。Duncanopenedhismouthandsworesopicturesquelythat，asheafterwardtoldhischum，"Imust’vebeenplumbinspiredfortheoccasion。"YetitneverenteredMr。Duncan’sministerialheadCAIRT——jessalittlene’vous。AllI

hadtodowastofeedherslabsandltoreprovetheblasphemy。Ordejumpeddownfromhishalf—buriedlogandclappedhishatonhishead。Newmarkdidnotalterhisattitudenorhisexpression。

TheSPRITEwassafe。Forthefewmomentsbeforesheglidedthelengthofthelongpiertostillerwaterthisfactsufficed。

"Iwonderifshegotthelineaboard，"speculatedthetug—boatcaptainatlast。

Thecrowdsurgedovertothepiersagain。BelowthemroseandfelltheSPRITE。Allthefancyscroll—workofherupperworks，thecorniceofherdeckhouse，thelightriggingofhercabinhaddisappeared，leavingrawandsplinteredwoodtomarktheirattachments。Thetallsmokestackwasbentawry，butitssupportshadheld，whichwasfortunatesinceotherwisethefireswouldhavebeendrownedout。Atthemoment，CaptainMarshwasbendingoverexaminingabadbreakintheoverhang——theonlymaterialdamagethetughadsustained。

Atsightofhimthecrowdsetupayell。Hepaidnoattention。Oneofthelife—savingmentossedamooringlineashore。Itwasseizedbyadozenmen。Thenforthefirsttimesomebodynoticedthatalthoughthetughadcometoastandstill，herscrewwasstillturningslowlyoverandover，holdingheragainsttheerraticstrongjerkingofaslenderropethatranthroughhersternchocksandintothewater。

"Hegotitaboard！"yelledtheman，pointing。

Anothercheerbrokeout。Thelife—savingcrewleapedtothedeck。

Theywereimmediatelyfollowedbyacrowdofenthusiastseagertocongratulateandquestion。ButCaptainMarshwouldhavenoneofthem。

"Getoffmytug！"heshouted。"Doyouwanttoswampher？Whatdoyousupposeweputthatlineaboardfor？Fun？Getbusyanduseit！

Rescuethatcrewnow！"

Abashed，theenthusiastsscrambledback。Thelife—savingcrewtookcharge。Itwasnecessarytopassthelinearoundtheendofthepierandbacktothebeach。Thiswasadangerousjob，andonerequiringconsiderablepowerandingenuity，forthestrainonthelineimposedbythewaterswasterrific；andthebreakingseasrenderedworkonthepiersextremelyhazardous。However，thelife—

savingcaptaintookchargeconfidentlyenough。Hiscrewbegantostruggleoutthepier，whilevolunteers，underhispersonaldirection，manipulatedthereel。

AnumberofthecuriouslingeredabouttheSPRITE。MarshandOrdewereinconsultationoverthesmashedstern，anddidnotlookasthoughtheycaredtobedisturbed。Harveyleanedouthislittlesquaredoor。

"Don’knownuffin’boutit，"saidhe，"’ceptin’shedonerolled’wayover’boutfohtimes。Yassshedid，suh！Iknow。Ifeltherdoin’