Saved at Sea | Page 4

masts of the ship in distress seemed to grow a little more near. Yet the waves were still fearfully strong, and appeared ready, every moment, to swallow up our little boat. Would my grandfather and Millar ever be able to hold on till they reached the ship, which was still more than two miles away?
'What's that?' I cried, as I caught sight of a dark object, rising and falling with the waves.
'It's a boat, surely!' said my grandfather 'Look, Jem!
CHAPTER III.
THE BUNDLE SAVED.
It was a boat of which I had caught sight--a boat bottom upwards. A minute afterwards it swept close past us, so near that we could almost touch it.
'They've lost their boat. Pull away, Jem!'
'Oh, grandfather!' I said,--and the wind was so high, I could only make him hear by shouting,--'grandfather, do you think the boat was full?'
'No,' he said. 'I think they've tried to put her off, and she's been swept away. Keep up, Jem!' For Jem Millar, who was not a strong man, seemed ready to give in.
We were now considerably more than half-way between the boat and the ship. It seemed as if those on board had caught sight of us, for another rocket went up. They had evidently kept one back, as a last hope, in case any one should pass by.
As we drew nearer, we could see that it was a large ship, and we could distinguish many forms moving about on deck.
'Poor fellows! poor fellows!' said my grandfather. 'Pull away, Jem!'
Nearer and nearer we came to the ship, till at length we could see her quite distinctly. She had struck on Ainslie Crag, and her stern was under water, and the waves were beating wildly on her deck. We could see men clinging to the rigging which remained, and holding on to the broken masts of the ship.
I shall never forget that sight to my dying day! My grandfather and Jem Millar saw it, and they pulled on desperately.
And now we were so near to the vessel that had it not been for the storm which was raging, we could have spoken to those on board. Again and again we tried to come alongside the shattered ship, but were swept away by the rush of the strong, resistless waves.
Several of the sailors came to the side of the ship, and threw out a rope to us. It was long before we could catch it, but at last, as we were being carried past it, I clutched it, and my grandfather immediately made it secure.
'Now!' he cried. 'Steady, Jem! we shall save some of them yet!' and he pulled the boat as near as possible to the ship.
Oh! how my heart beat that moment, as I looked at the men and women all crowding towards the place where the rope was fastened.
'We can't take them all,' said my grandfather anxiously; 'we must cut the rope when we've got as many as the boat will carry.'
I shuddered, as I thought of those who would be left behind.
We had now come so close to the ship that the men on board would be able to watch their opportunity, and jump into the boat whenever a great wave was past, and there was a lull for a moment in the storm.
'Look out, Jem!' cried my grandfather. 'Here's the first'
A man was standing by the rope, with what appeared to be a bundle in his arms. The moment we came near, he seized his opportunity and threw it to us. My grandfather caught it.
[Illustration: 'IT'S A CHILD, ALICK', HE SAID, 'PUT IT DOWN BY YOU']
'It's a child, Alick!' he said; 'put it down by you.'
I put the bundle at my feet, and my grandfather cried, 'Now another; quick, my lads!'
But at this moment Jem Millar seized his arm. 'Sandy! look out!' he almost shrieked.
My grandfather turned round. A mighty wave, bigger than any I had seen before, was coming towards us. In another moment we should have been dashed by its violence against the ship, and all have perished.
My grandfather hastily let go the rope, and we just got out of the way of the ship before the wave reached us. And then came a noise, loud as a terrible thunder-clap, as the mighty wave dashed against Ainslie Crag. I could hardly breathe, so dreadful was the moment!
'Now back again for some more!' cried my grandfather, when the wave had passed.
We looked round, but the ship was gone! It had disappeared like a dream when one awakes, as if it had never been. That mighty wave had broken its back, and shattered it into a thousand fragments. Nothing was to be seen of the ship or its crew but a few floating pieces of timber.
My grandfather and Millar pulled hastily to the spot, but it was some