Saved at Sea | Page 4

them. Both the men were much exhausted, and
Jem Millar seemed ready to give in.
'Cheer up, Jem, my lad,' said my grandfather; 'think of all the poor
fellows out there. Let's have one more try!'
So they made a mighty effort, and the pier was left a little way behind.
Slowly, very slowly, we made that distance greater; slowly, very
slowly, Mrs. Millar, who was standing on the shore, faded from our
sight, and the 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