Georgies Present | Page 9

was aroused by a loud uproar, for which at
first he could not account. When he had quite regained consciousness,
he found that, in addition to the noise of a raging tempest, there were
the shouts and cries of men outside the cabin, and loud talking in the
chamber beneath.
"It was evident that something unusual had occurred to disturb the
household. Hastily rising and dressing himself, he made the best of his
way downstairs, and there he found the wife of his host busily engaged
in chafing the hands and arms of a poor half-drowned lad who had just
been brought into the cabin and laid upon the floor. He, it appeared,
had been cast ashore by a heavy swell, but there were others beside him
who were still in danger.
"'Could you manage, sir, to stand against the wind, perhaps you could
carry this coil of rope; they may be wanting it,' said the woman. In
another minute your grandfather was battling against the storm, making
his way along the rugged shore in the direction of a small group of men
who proved to be his host, with a younger brother and the two men
who had manned the boat in which he had himself come to the island.
"It was a fearful sight. The sea was in a white foam, the whole air filled
with spray, and the wind blowing heavily. Not far from shore was a
boat with a part of the exhausted crew from a vessel wrecked in the
offing. The breakers made it impossible that the poor fellows should
effect a landing. A terrible death seemed their inevitable fate. Just at the
moment your grandfather reached the point, he saw his host leap into
the sea, his object being to give the men a rope. It was at the peril of his
life he took that desperate leap. His favourite dog, Boxa, saw and
instantly followed his master. The two rose in a moment, and were
borne by the swell toward the boat. They had nearly reached it when it
capsized. Moir--that was the name of the gallant man--seized one of the
seamen, and, wonderful to tell, succeeded in bringing him safe to shore.
In the meantime, Boxa, following his master's example, caught hold of
another of the poor drowning creatures, and began to drag him along. It

proved, however, that the dog's hold had fastened upon the seaman's
south-wester cap, which came off in the water. The animal evidently
was not aware of what had happened, and, not perceiving the
diminution in the weight of his burden, was proceeding to make his
way to land with the cap only.
[Illustration] "'The poor fellow is lost!' cried the bystanders on the
point.
"But no! they presently saw the sailor clutch hold of the dog's tail,---it
was a fine, handsome, large tail, George;--and in this manner he was
towed to land in safety. Imagine how glad he must have been when he
found himself on terra firma! His first act was to give thanks to God,
and then he threw his arms around Boxa, caressing him again and again,
and loading him with fond epithets, part in English, part in Swedish. He
was a young Swede, a fine, handsome youth, about twenty years of age.
Without loss of time he was conducted to the house, where he shared
the kind attentions of the mistress; but she had soon another and a more
difficult case in hand.
"The master of the wrecked vessel, who was one of the boat's crew,
was rescued from a watery grave by the further exertions of Moir and
his companions, and was carried in a perfectly insensible state to the
house. Some hours elapsed before he was conscious of anything that
was passing around him. He seemed, indeed, so completely gone, that
every one had given him over, when some faint symptoms of returning
life appeared.
"In the meantime the day wore on, and your grandfather, feeling that he
caused additional trouble to the family by his prolonged stay under
such circumstances, was very desirous to leave the island as soon as
possible. The state of the weather, however, continued such as to render
it impossible he should attempt to put to sea, and he passed another
night and a part of the following day with the friendly planter, whose
heroic exertions on behalf of the shipwrecked crew had greatly exalted
him in the opinion of his visitor.
"During the early part of the night the two sat up together, there being a

dearth of sleeping accommodation, for the beds were all given up to the
sailors; and for some hours they conversed together on topics of mutual
interest.
"Moir was a pious man, and his early history had been one of striking