, Joe," he said, as he sat down beside his
wife, and permitted her to tie a kerchief round his head. "Only a
slight wound, Eva, got while taking soundings. I find that there are
sixteen fathoms of water under us, and, although I couldn't see my hand
held up before my face, I managed to make out by the flash of a match,
which burned for a moment before being blown out, that the sides of the
cave are quite perpendicular, not the smallest ledge to stand on. The
tide, however, is ebbing fast, and the water in the cave calming, so
that if no bad leak has been made by all this thumping we may yet be
saved. Our only chance is to stick to the ship."

While he was speaking the vessel again surged violently against one side
of the cave, and another of the huge masses of rock that were brought
down by the swaying masts came crashing on the deck.

"There is no bad leak as yet," said the captain, re-entering the cabin,
which he had quitted for the purpose of sounding the well. "If we can
keep afloat for an hour or two we may be able to use the boats. Just
now it would be useless to attempt launching them."

Although the captain's words were not particularly reassuring, his
confident tone and manner infused hope, and comforted the people
greatly. Some of the male passengers even volunteered to face the
shower of stones, if need be, and lend a hand in launching the boats,
when the time for doing so arrived.

These boats, three in number, were lying bottom up on deck, and to reach
them involved the risk of death to whoever should attempt it. They were
therefore compelled to wait.

It is difficult to form even a slight conception of the horrors of that
night. For several hours they sat in the after-cabin, and the ship
surged and plunged in the wildly-heaving water, striking the sides
continually, while rocks fell at intervals on the deck, thus adding to
the noise of wind and waves as they raged with echoing, deafening noise
in the black cavern. Each moment it seemed as if the ship must have her
planks stove in and be sunk, but she was a new vessel and strong. Of
course she leaked considerably, but when the tide went down the sea
calmed a little, the rocks ceased falling from the roof, and they were
enabled to rig the pumps and work them vigorously. The boats,
meanwhile, were cast loose and got ready to launch at the first glimmer
of daylight! Fortunately, they had received no serious injury from the
falling rocks.

O