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’