t of the venturous attempt, and I soon
discovered the form of Bessy, who was in advance of all the others.

After a careful watching for perhaps two minutes on the part of Bramble,
he gave the word, and on dashed the galley towards the strand, keeping
pace with the wild surges, and although buried in the foam, not shipping
one drop of water.

"Now, my men, give way--for your lives give way," cried Bramble, as a
cresting wave came towering on, as if in angry pursuit of us. The men
obeyed, but, in their exertions, the stroke oar snapped in two, the man
fell back, and prevented the one behind him from pulling. Our fate was
sealed; the surge poured over, and throwing us broadside to the beach,
we were rolled over and over in the boiling surf. A cry was heard--a
cry of terror and despair--on the part of the women. I heard it as I
was swept away by the undertow, and the next wave poured over me; but
all was activity and energy on the part of the men who were on the
beach: the next wave that run in, they recovered me and two more by
linking their arms and allowing the surf to break over them. We were so
much bruised that we could not stand; they dragged us up, and left us to
the women. Bramble and four others were still struggling for life;
again two were saved--but the men on the beach were exhausted by their
strenuous exertions.

I had just recovered myself so as to sit up, when I perceived that they
were not acting in concert as before; indeed, in the last attempt,
several of them had narrowly escaped with their own lives. Bessy was
now down among them, wildly gesticulating; Bramble still floated on the
boiling surf, but no chain was again formed; the wave poured in bearing
him on its crest; it broke, and he was swept away again by the undertow,
which dragged him back with a confused heap of shingles clattering one
over the other as they descended. I saw him again, just as another wave
several feet in height was breaking over him--I felt that he was lost;
when Bessy, with a hook rope in her hand, darted towards him right under
the wave as it turned over, and as she clasped his body, they both
disappeared under the mountain surge. Another shriek was raised by the
women, while the men stood as if paralysed. In my excitement I had
gained my legs, and I hastened to seize the part of the rope which
remained on the beach. Others then came and helped; we hauled upon it,
and found that there was weight at the end. Ano