om the storm.

While he stood looking anxiously in the direction of the tender, a wave
came so near to the platform that he almost involuntarily leaped up the
ladder for safety. It broke before reaching the beacon, and the spray
dashed right over it, carrying away several of the smith's tools.

"Ho, boys! lend a hand here, some of you," shouted Ruby, as he leaped
down on the mortar-gallery again.

Jamie Dove, Bremner, O'Connor, and several others were at his side in a
moment, and, in the midst of tremendous sprays, they toiled to secure
the movable articles that lay there. These were passed up to the
sheltered parts of the house; but not without great danger to all who
stood on the exposed gallery below.

Presently two of the planks were torn up by a sea, and several bags of
coal, a barrel of small-beer, and a few casks containing lime and sand,
were all swept away. The men would certainly have shared the fate of
these, had they not clung to the beams until the sea had passed.

As nothing remained after that which could be removed to the room above,
they left the mortar-gallery to its fate, and returned to the kitchen,
where they were met by the anxious glances and questions of their
comrades.

The fire, meanwhile, could scarcely be got to burn, and the whole place
was full of smoke, besides being wet with the sprays that burst over the
roof, and found out all the crevices that had not been sufficiently
stopped up. Attending to these leaks occupied most of the men at
intervals during the night. Ruby and his friend the smith spent much of
the time in the doorway, contemplating the gradual destruction of their
workshop.

For some time the gale remained steady, and the anxiety of the men began
to subside a little, as they became accustomed to the ugly twisting of
the great beams, and found that no evil consequences followed.

In the midst of this confusion, poor Forsyth's anxiety of mind became as
nothing compared with the agony of his toothache!

Bremner had already made several attempts to persuade the miserable man
to have it drawn, but without success.

"I could do it quite easy," said he, "only let me get a hold of it, an'
before you could wink I'd have it out."

"Well, you may try," cried Forsyth in desperation, with a face of ashy
paleness.

It was an awful situation truly. In danger of his life; suffering the
agonies of toothache, and with the prospect of torments unbearable from
an inexpert ha