king night hideous. In the morning a gale broke
and soon came a blinding fall of snow. It was impossible to see many
yards through the rushing drift of murky yellow, but Jack took in all
four reefs, and ran on with a rag of sail and a three-cloth jib.

It was not a sea that came away; it was a mere enormous cataract that
poured on irresistibly. Jack knew that so long as he could keep the boat
moving, he might escape having his decks stove in, so he determined to
try it--neck or nothing. No man on board knew when the sea might come
which would heave her down, and they watched grimly as the gallant craft
tore on. Some wanted to heave-to, but the skipper knew that he would
stand a good chance of being smothered that way, and he resolved to get
as near home as possible, in case the hurricane grew worse. After boring
for ten hours in the worst of the tremendous sea, he saw a vessel to
leeward of him, flying signals of distress. She was sinking, and her
boat was smashed. The mate said, "That poor chap on't see land." Jack
thought a little, and then he said, "I'm going to try. Out with your
boat." Discipline on board the smacks is not very strict, and the men
were inclined to question the wisdom of Jack's proposal; but Englishmen
always lean to humanity, and with a little persuasion, all hands
volunteered. Jack took one unmarried man, and then coolly proceeded to
make his wild attempt. It was a forlorn kind of chance for everybody,
but as Jack said, "I was saved once, and I know what them poor bloods
feel like."

The little boat had first of all to run down on the sinking smack, and
then, at the risk of capsizing, Jack's vessel ran to leeward and came
round, sending everything shaking as she came up. Only desperately brave
and supremely kindly people would have dared such a thing, and even the
skipper of the foundering vessel said, "Well, chaps, I thought no one
but a mad one would a-tried it on; but Gord bless you all the same."

After that, Jack was obliged to let go his anchor within sound of
breakers, and his fight with death lasted all night. The lifeboats could
not get out to him, and he could only pray that the snow-curtain might
lift. In the morning a slant of wind came which enabled him to get away
from the gnashing breakers, and he got in with the loss of his gaff.
Sally was home for Christmas-time, and she was mighty proud when no less
a person than the Mayor presented Jack with a town's subscription, which
was qu