as if it would wash all from her decks and hurl them
to destruction. The remainder of the crew clung to ring-bolts or
stanchions, or whatever they could grasp. The sea lifted the schooner
and sent her farther on the reef. Again and again she struck, as if
every timber was about to separate. Another sea roared up, and striking
her like a huge hammer, broke her into a thousand fragments, sending
those on board far into the water, clinging to the fragments. Happily
she had been driven almost over the reef, on the inner side of which the
sea was comparatively smooth. Thus those who had been clinging to
portions of the wreck were able to support themselves.

Sunshine Bill had been holding on to a ring-bolt in the deck, and when
the ship broke up, he found himself still doing so, and floating on a
portion of it which had been sent a considerable distance from the reef.
He looked around him to see if any of his shipmates had also escaped
immediate destruction. As far as he could see, the water seemed covered
with pieces of timber, which were torn off from the wreck. Among them
he thought he could distinguish some human forms. He shouted. A voice
answered him: it was that of Tommy Rebow, close to him, floating on a
fragment of the bulwarks.

"Oh! Help me, Bill! Help me! I cannot hold on much longer, and the
piece of wood I have hold of is scarcely enough to keep me afloat."

Bill felt tolerably secure where he was, yet he could not bear the
thoughts of letting Tommy perish if he could help him; so, leaving his
own piece of the wreck, he struck out towards his messmate. He
fortunately had not many yards to go before he got up with Tommy.

"Hold on," he said, "and I'll tow your raft up to mine. I don't want to
run the risk of letting you catch me round the neck as you did the other
day. But cheer up; I don't think we're going to die this time."

With these encouraging words, Bill towed Tommy up to the piece of deck,
which was amply large enough to support them both. Having got on it
himself, he managed, though not without difficulty, to hand Tommy up
also, and there together they clung to the ring-bolt.

"I wonder who else has escaped?" said Bill. "I'll shout out. Listen if
anybody answers."

Even to Tommy, Bill found it necessary to speak very loud, on account of
the roar of the breakers, which seemed even louder on that side of the
reef than on the other.

"Anybody floating away there?" shouted Bill,