rushing back, laid bare its sandy bed, from which
it rolled immense stones, with a hoarse dismal noise. The sea, swelled by
the violence of the wind, rose higher every moment; and the channel between
this island the Isle of Amber was but one vast sheet of white foam, with
yawning pits of black deep billows. The foam boiling in the gulf was more
than six feet high: and the winds which swept its surface, bore it over the
steep coast more than half a league upon the land. Those innumerable white
flakes, driven horizontally as far as the foot of the mountain, appeared
like snow issuing from the ocean, which was now confounded with the sky.
Thick clouds, of a horrible form, swept along the zenith with the swiftness
of birds, while others appeared motionless as rocks. No spot of azure could
be discerned in the firmament; only a pale yellow gleam displayed the
objects of earth sea, and skies.

"From the violent efforts of the ship, what we dreaded happened. The cables
at the head of the vessel were torn away; it was then held by one anchor
only, and was instantly dashed upon the rocks, at the distance of half a
cable's length from the shore. A general cry of horror issued from the
spectators. Paul rushed towards the sea, when, seizing him by the arm, I
exclaimed, 'Would you perish?'--'Let me go to save her,' cried he, 'or
die!' Seeing that despair deprived him of reason, Domingo and I, in order
to preserve him, fastened a long cord round his waist, and seized hold of
each end. Paul then precipitated himself towards the ship, now swimming,
and now walking upon the breakers. Sometimes he had the hope of reaching
the vessel, which the sea, in its irregular movements, had left almost dry,
so that you could have made its circuit on foot; but suddenly the waves
advancing with new fury, shrouded it beneath mountains of water, which then
lifted it upright upon its keel. The billows at the same moment threw the
unfortunate Paul far upon the beach, his legs bathed in blood, his bosom
wounded, and himself half dead. The moment he had recovered his senses, he
arose, and returned with new ardour towards the vessel, the planks of which
now yawned asunder from the violent strokes of the billows. The crew, then
despairing of their safety, threw themselves in crowds into the sea, upon
yards, planks, hencoops, tables, and barrels. At this moment we beheld an
object fitted to excite eternal sympathy; a young lady in the gallery of
the stern of the