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It was a fearful moment. The shallop
was at the mercy of the storm. The
end of the boom would have caught William
Northrop up also and hurled him
into the seething billows, but for his presence
of mind in throwing himself flat
upon the deck and clasping a ring-bolt
firmly with both hands. The shallop
rocked wildly from side to side totally
unmanageable. The mast at length yielded
to the terrible force of the unlashed
boom and was carried, sail and all, over
the side into the waves.

`Thank God, it's gone!' was the exclamation
of William Northrop on hearing
the crash. `If it had stood a minute
longer it would have dragged the shallop
under.'

He sprung to his feet and seized the
helm to lash it to the lee side, so as to
keep her head as much away from the
reef as possible. But this was of little
use, and he felt that it could help him
none. All was quiet on board save the
voice of the tempest which ceased not.—
He strained his eyes to see if he had any
one of his crew.

`Who is here?” he shouted as his
shallop rolled over the billows, each moment
approaching nearer the roaring
breakers upon the ledge.

`Me,—White Teeth;' answered the
Indian lad, suddenly appearing over the
side on deck, and shaking himself like a
water-dog.

`Where are the rest?'

`Knock 'em over in em sea;' answered
the lad. `Fish catch em!'

`Poor fellows. Old Saul seemed to
forebode this.'

`Nebber mind be sorry for dem; we
be sorry for ourself pretty soon.'

`I am afraid so. We shall have enough
to do to think of ourselves. My poor
little May! If I should perish here tonight
what would become of my little
Fawn of the cliffs! White Teeth?'

`Well, what Grey Eyes speak to
him?'

`If I am lost and you save yourself, I
wish you to give this case to my child.
I will place it around your neck. I have
worn it next my heart for years. If you
are lost and I am saved I can tell her
what I would. But if I am lost and this
reaches her hands I shall have done my
duty even to death!'

As he spoke he placed round the neck
of the young Indian a chain of steel, to
which was appended a circular, flat box,
made of tin, and about four times the
size of a Spanish dollar.

`If me swim shore me do as you say,'
answered the Indian.

`That is all I can ask. We have
neither of us much chance of escaping

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our death to-night, White Teeth. You
see we are driven against a boiling sea,
that the winds are lashing into foam.—
Before us, not half a mile distant, is the
reef which will bring us up. Nothing
can check our course now. In ten
minutes we shall be tossed upon its breakers
like a feather! No two planks of
the shallop will hang together five minutes.
There is no alternative but to be
drowned or thrown upon the rocks to be
mangled. God have mercy upon me,
for I have been a wicked man! I never
looked forward to this hour as I see and
feel it now.'

The strong man covered his brow with
his hand for a moment. He seemed to
be casting himself in silent prayer upon
the mercy of his God. He felt now the
impotency of man's arm or human aid.
The majesty and power of the Creator
were around him invested with terror and
leading to the gates of death.

`White Teeth!'

`Well what you say to him?' asked
the youthful Indian who sat upon the deck
as composed and indifferent as if he
were crouched before his camp-fire.

`It is a dreadful thing to die.'

`Great Spirit take 'em up!' answered
the lad, pointing above to the storm-dark
skies. `Sun shine bright up top de
clouds.'

`Do you believe you will go up where
the sun shines when you drown?'

`Yes, me go up; Great Spirit give
White Teeth wings—him fly up like 'em
gull.'

`Then you don't fear to die?'

`No!'

`I envy you—I wish I could say,' and
the stout-hearted, wicked man groaned
with the terror of an infant. `Poor May!
I wish she was near to know my danger
and pray for me!'

Once more he looked around upon the
scene of terror; he could gather no hope,
—he knew well that no power could save
the shallop in her tendency towards the
reef; and that when she struck upon it
she would be dashed into atoms, and
death would be inevitable amid the battling
surges—for there was not a rock or
foot-hold above the breakers that the
sea-bird could rest the sole of its foot on;
all was chaos and horror to the eye—a
dreadful uproar of appalling sounds to
the ear.

William Northrop, after once more
looking round in despair, was about to
cast himself upon the deck and submit to
his fate, when his ear was arrested by
the report of a cannon to leeward, and at
the same moment the sky was lighted up
by a rocket, to which was attached a
blue light. Its appearance was singularly
wild and magnificent, circling along
amid the darkness of the storm, lighting
up land and sea in its progress. By its
light the cliff, and the group upon it, and
the dismasted frigate, were plainly seen
by him; while the illumination betrayed
the position of the shallop to the spectators
on board the ship. The surf-skiff
was no where visible to their eyes or to
those of George Hunnewell, who, taking
advantage of the sudden light arching
along the sky, rapidly sent his glances
over the fierce ocean in search of the
adventurous boat.

A second rocket went up, and in its
curving descent lighted up all the sea in
the vicinity of the reef with the momentary
brightness of noonday. By it Northrop
saw all the horrors of his situation,
but also beheld struggling with the waves
on his larboard quarter a small black
boat. He had to look a second time before
he could believe his eyes; for it
might have been a rock or a huge fish
turning up to the light his dark back.

`A boat!—me see 'em boat!' shouted
the Indian boy.

`Then I was not mistaken,' said

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Northrop, as the darkness once more returned.
`It was in this direction?'

`Yes—me see 'em, and two people.'

`I could not see that much; God grant
there may be no persons abroad in like
peril with ourselves.'

This was the noblest sentiment ever
uttered by William Northrop; it showed
that the near approach of death had stirred
up the nobler elements of humanity
within him.

Another rocket went soaring up into
the sky; for the skiff was not yet visible
from the ship, on account of an intervening
spur of the ledge. By its light Northrop
caught another and distinct view of
the life-boat, about two hundred yards to
the northward and leeward, stretching
across in a course between the shallop
and the reef, on which the latter was
driving beam-end first, every sea making
a complete breach over her decks.

`It is the life-boat!—thank God!' he
cried, as he grasped the hand of the Indian
boy, in his grateful emotion. The
hope of life filled him with love for all
living creatures; and so the Indian lad,
to whom he had been a hard master,
came to be an object of kindness.

`Me see 'em—lightning show me woman
in 'em!'

`A woman! can it be that it is my
daughter who has come out in it?' he
cried, straining his eyes through the darkness
that hung upon the sea to look for
the boat.

`Me see woman—squaw, sure! Me
see 'em Tom—hump-back: rocket make
'em shine same as 'em sun. Me see 'em—
good!' reiterated the Indian.

`Then I have to fear for my child as
well as for myself! She can never reach
us—the course she takes will carry her
directly upon the reef, even before we
are dashed upon it. See! look sharply!—
can't you see the boat through the
gloom? I think I see it—the clouds
light up a little.'

`Me see em! Boat comin' fast!'

`My eyes do not deceive me. I can
discern it through the darkness. Let
us shout! Hilloh, ho—hilloah! The
life-boat, ahoy!'

`It is my father!' cried May, who was
tugging at two of the oars while Tom
pulled at the other two. Manfully,
brother! We are gaining every moment.
Let us not despair. God will
give us strength!'

`For you, I do it, May. I would rather
he should drown. He will beat me
and call me hump and damned monster.'

`No. He will always love you if you
save him. Hear him shout! Answer
him back with me! Mingle your voice
with mine, for the wind blows hard and
we have to shout against it.'

`Rescue! Aid at hand!' she shouted
back in a shrill, cheering cry, in which
the deep tones of the dwarf's voice were
mingled.

`It is my child! God who has sent
her to my aid will reward her filial love.
We shall not perish, White Teeth!'

`See 'em breakers. They roar to eat
us up. We nebber see de land more,'
said the Indian, quietly. `Surf-boat
come to see us drown!'

`You are right,' exclaimed the wretched
man, with a shriek of despair, looking
before them. While he had been directing
his attention to the skiff he had been
beedless of the shallop's rapid approach
to the ledge, and now he saw that it had
rapidly been driven towards a portion of
it nighest, and where the waves leaped
in mad revelry mast-head high and roared
with appalling loudness.

`There is no hope. She has come to
see us perish and to perish with us!' he
cried, looking towards the before hoped-for
succor and wringing his hands. `Oh,
God, I cannot die now and my child so

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near! Help! Save us! One minute
more!'

The life-boat was now within fifty feet
of the shallop, which was tossed with the
most fearful rapidity along the huge upheaving
billows into the midst of a chaos
of howling waters. A few yards further
and she would be swallowed up and shattered
into fragments, the surges tossing
the bodies of the living men upon the
sharp rocks or engulphing them in their
depths. The soul of William Northrop
shrank within him! He stood with
stretched out arms, madly crying,

`Come! Save your father, May!
Oh, save me! Save me, or let me die
with thee!'

The voice of her father inspired the
maiden with almost supernatural energy.
Her words gave new vigor to the dwarf's
arms, and the life-boat came riding upon
the top of a wave astern of the shallop
and was within twice her length when
the shallop was lifted upon an enormous
sea and tossed into the foaming vortex
like a cockle-shell. It was heard crashing
upon the rocks of the ledge and the
wild waters went leaping and hissing
over the ruins they had made. Ere the
shallop was thus lifted up, and as he felt
it rising upon the breakers, Northrop
leaped into the surf as far as he could in
the direction of the skiff, which was
coming after the wreck. Tom had hesitated
as he saw the shallop leaping into
the air, and ceased pulling.

`For your life and mine now, Tom!'
she cried. `Onward, for it is death to
turn back! See! There is my father!
Save him! Grasp his arm as we drive
by!'

The dwarf caught sight of William
Northrop and seized him by the shoulder,
and, aided by the fearless May, drew him
on board while the boat was actually
driving into the midst of the wild surf.

`Now may God speed us!' she cried.
`There was another one! Look sharp!'

But there was no other person seen,
and the young girl having hastily fastened
her lifeless father by cords to the
boat so that the sea would not wash him
overboard, seized an oar and, aided by
Tom, began to pull for life against the
fearful death which now menaced them;
for the delay to rescue her father had
already involved them in the chaos of
waters that howled about the spurs of the
breakers.