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’