on near?" Flint asked, as they stumbled
along the road in the dark.

"No, not near as you might say. Ten miles away is as bad as a
hundred."

Once out of doors, they started on a run down the road which led to
the shore. The booming of the gun grew louder in their ears; and dimly
through the mist they caught sight of a vessel lying keeled over on
her side well in shore. Flint was conscious of a not wholly unpleasing
excitement as he watched her. As yet his mind had found no room for
thoughts of individual suffering. It was a wreck, and he had always
wished to see a wreck.

The thoughts passing through his mind did not delay his footsteps, and
he made such good speed that, half way to the shore, he had left
Marsden far behind, and struggled on alone through the last few rods
of heavy sand.

When he reached the beach, several people were gathered there already:
Ben Bradford and Dr. Cricket, with that dishevelled air which always
marks a midnight alarm; Michael and Leonard Davitt, who slept in their
fisherman's hut by the pond, in order to get an early morning start,
and were therefore first at the scene of excitement.

Michael felt all the importance of his position as first witness, and
with unusual loquacity was giving an account of the catastrophe to the
group around.

"I can't nohow account for it," he said; "that captain must be an
escaped idjit to go on a lee-shore a night like this."

"Had the fog lifted when she struck?" queried Marsden.

"Well, it was jest a-waverin', breakin' up like, and then shuttin'
down agin. The idjit must er thought he was off the Bug Light, where
the water's deep right up close in; but why should he a-thought
so?--that's the question."

"Well, it is a question that can wait, I should think," said Brady,
who had come up panting from his run. "The most important question is,
what are you going to do about it? There's not much danger, I suppose,
as long as the night is as calm as this; though there's such a ground
swell on it looks as if there must have been a big storm at sea. See
how she pounds on the reef out there! She is likely to go to pieces
before many hours, I should say, and if a wind springs up, as it's
pretty sure to do with morning, it would be an ugly lookout."

"Is there a life-boat anywhere?" asked Flint.

"Yes," said Leonard, somewhat scornfully, "in the pond." (He
pronounced it pawnd.)

"They must have boats on the ship," said Marsden; "seems to me I see
'e