k thread, and a cry of despair arose from the crew.
The captain was calm and collected, and shouted orders for the jib
to be again hoisted, and the helm put up; so as to run her, head
first, on to the shore.

As they neared the line of breakers, they could see heads of jagged
rocks rising among them while, beyond, a belt of smooth water--a
quarter of a mile wide--extended to the land. The ship's head was
directed towards a point where no rocks appeared above the surface.
Everyone held their breath and, clinging to the bulwarks, awaited
the shock.

The vessel lifted on a great wave, just as she came to the line of
broken water and, as she settled down, struck with a tremendous
crash. So great was the shock that she broke in two, amidships, as
if she had been made of paper; the portion aft going instantly to
pieces and, at once, the sea around was covered with fragments of
wreck, bales, boxes, and casks. Another great sea followed, filling
the now open ship, forcing up the deck, and sweeping everything
before it.

William Gale and Hans had gone as far forward as possible.

"Come out to the end of the bowsprit," Will said to Hans; and the
two lads crawled out together, and sat on the end of the spar.

The sea beneath them was white as milk, with the foam which poured
over the reef; but Will thought that they were beyond the rocks.
Every sea which struck the wreck added to the disaster; until a
larger one than usual struck it, and broke it into fragments. The
lads clung to the spar, as it fell. It sank deep in the water, but
they retained their hold until it came to the surface, and Will
looked round.

They were safely beyond the edge of the reef. The sea was still
rough and broken; but it was quiet, compared to that beyond the
reef. He saw that the fore mast was floating near and, to it,
several were clinging.

In a quarter of an hour the spar floated to land, the boys felt the
bottom with their feet, and soon scrambled ashore. A few minutes
later the fore mast also drifted up; and several men, clinging to
fragments of the wreck, were also cast ashore. In all eleven men,
including the first mate, were saved.

Chapter 5: The Castaways.

After waiting on the shore, until all hope that any more of their
shipmates survived was at an end, the party--by the mate's
orders--detached a sail from a yard that had drifted ashore, and
carried it well into the wood; where they were sheltered, to some
extent, from the