in upon us," said Jim.

For fear of being carried away, we made ourselves fast to some
stanchions near the pumps, so that we could reach the brakes, and worked
away till we were both ready to drop. Now and then we had to stop to
draw breath and regain our strength. The hard battered brig pitched and
rolled and tumbled, the seas dancing up wildly on every side of her.
Again we had stopped, when Jim exclaimed, "Hark! I hear the breakers."

I listened. The dreaded sound reached my ears. The brig was driving
rapidly towards them.

CHAPTER TWELVE.

PORT REACHED IN AN UNEXPECTED MANNER.

The sound of the breakers grew louder and louder. Every instant we
expected to find the brig sent crashing on the rocks, and to have the
furious seas breaking over us.

"There's no use pumping any longer, Peter," said Jim. "We must cling to
whatever we can get hold of, and hope for the chance of being hove up on
the beach, if there is one."

"A poor chance that," I could not help answering. "Perhaps the brig may
be driven in between some rocks, and will hold together till the
morning; if not we must be prepared to die."

And I spoke to him as I think my mother would have spoken to me.
Clinging to the shattered bulwarks, we waited for the dreadful event
with all the resignation we could muster. Still the crash did not come,
though the vessel appeared to be tossed about even more violently than
before.

"Peter, the breakers don't sound so loud as they did just now,"
exclaimed Jim, after some time.

"Let's look at the compass," I said, casting off the rope round my
waist.

"I'll go too," cried Jim, doing the same. "What happens to you shall
happen to both."

Together we made our way to the binnacle, in which the lamp was still
burning. As we eagerly examined the compass we found that the wind had
shifted to the south-west, and if there was land, as we supposed, to the
westward, was blowing partly off shore. We must have drifted past a
headland, on which we had heard the seas breaking. Had the foresail
stood we should have run on it, and we had cause, therefore, to be
thankful that it had given way. Now, however, as it was important to
keep off the land, we attempted to secure the clew and tack, and hauling
together succeeded in again hoisting it. I then ran to the helm, and
found that I could steer east by north or thereabouts. Though the brig
moved very slowly, still I believed that we were getting away from