o the shattered wreck in
the bitter winter midnight, exposed to the full fury of the pitiless
storm.

A light heaving-line was quickly cleared away, and one end bent to a
rope becket securely spliced to a small keg, which was then thrown
overboard and allowed to drift down toward the wreck, the line being
veered freely away at the same time.

The crew of the wreck, anxiously watching the motions of those on board
the smack, at once comprehended the object of this manoeuvre, and, as
the keg drifted down toward them, made ready to secure it. But the set
of the tide, the wash of the sea, or some other unexplained circumstance
caused it to deviate so far from its intended course that it passed at a
considerable distance astern of the wreck, notwithstanding the utmost
endeavours of those on board to secure it; in consequence of which it
had to be hauled on board the smack again, and thus valuable time was
lost. The smack's helm was at once shifted, and the tide, aided by the
wind, gave her so strong a sheer in the required direction that it was
hoped a repetition of the mischance would be impossible. The keg was
again thrown overboard, the line once more veered away. Buoyantly it
drifted down toward the wreck, now buried in the hissing foam-crest of a
mighty breaker, and anon riding lightly in the liquid valley behind it.
All eyes were intently fixed upon it, impatiently watching its slow and
somewhat erratic movements, when the smack seemed to leap suddenly
skyward, rearing up like a startled courser, and heeling violently over
on her beam-ends at the same moment; there was a terrific thud forward,
accompanied by a violent crashing sound, and the _Seamew's_ crew had
barely time to grasp the cleat or belaying-pin nearest at hand when a
foaming deluge of water hissed and swirled past and over them, the
breaker of which it formed a part sweeping from under the smack down
toward the wreck in an unbroken wall of green water, capped with a white
and ominously curling crest. The roller broke just as it reached the
wreck, expending its full force upon her already shattered hull; the
black mass was seen to heel almost completely over in the midst of the
wildly tossing foam, there was a dull report, almost like that of a gun,
a piercing shriek, which rose clearly above the howling of the gale and
the babel of the maddened waters, and when the wreck again became
visible it was seen that she had broken in two amidships, the bow l