eased the long-neglected rifts between
her timbers, and no amount of pumping could save her. On the other
hand, the sky had broken above them, and the wind was by no means so
violent as before. The sun broke through between two great hurrying
clouds, and turned all the waves to the brightest emerald green, with
sparkling snow-white crests of foam. This sudden change and the
brightness of the scene made their fate seem all the harder to the
seamen aboard the sinking vessel.

"The gale is clearin'," remarked McPherson. "If we'd had a ship that
wasna rotten to the hairt, like her owners, we'd ha pu'ed through."

"Right you are, old Sandy! But we're all goin' together, captain and
owners and the whole bilin'," yelled Miggs recklessly.

The mate looked at him half in surprise and half in contempt.
"You've been at the bottle," he said. "Eh mun, mun, if we are a'
drooned, as seems likely, it's an awfu' thing to appear before your
Maker wi' your meeserable soul a' steeped in drink."

"You go down and have a drink yourself," Miggs cried huskily.

"Na, na. If I am to dee, I'll dee sober."

"You'll die a fool," the skipper shouted wrathfully.

"Well, old preacher, you've brought us into a nice hole with your damned
insurance cheating, cheese-paring business. What d'ye think of it now,
when the ship's settlin' down under our feet, eh? Would you repair her
if you had her back in the Albert Dock, eh?"

This speech was addressed to the old merchant, who had ceased pumping,
and was leaning against the cuddy and looking up hopelessly at the long
line of brown cliffs which were now only half a mile away. They could
hear the roar of the surf, and saw the white breakers where the
Atlantic stormed in all its fury against nature's break-water.

"He's not fit to command," said Ezra to the mate. "What would you
advise?"

"We'll bring her round and lower the boats on the lee side. They may
live or no, but it's the only chance for us. Them twa boats will hold
us a' easy."

The ship was settling down in the water so fast that it was no difficult
matter to let the boats down. They only hung a few feet above the
surface. The majority of the crew got safely into the long boat, and
the Girdlestones, with Miggs and four seamen, occupied the gig. It was
no easy thing to prevent the boats from being stove, as the waves
alternately drove them from the ship's side or brought the two together
with a force which seemed irresisti