on the scene. While paying out cable there was the fear of
the rope breaking or the anchor dragging; then, on nearing the wreck,
there was the risk of being dashed to pieces on the rocks, and after
getting under her lee, the surging of the waves kept them constantly on
the verge of being hurled against the rigging. The wreck of the
foremast, too, which still lay rolling alongside, was a source of
constant anxiety, and the rolling of the ship itself rendered it
probable that one or both of the remaining masts would give way and fall
over the side, in which case the destruction of the boat would be almost
inevitable. Add to this the intense darkness, the terrible uproar of
wind and water, and the difficulty of acting effectively in a boat that
pitched and swooped wildly on the broken seas like the plungings of a
fiery charger,--and some faint idea may be formed of the horrors, as
well as the dangers of the lifeboat service.

Gradually, but surely, the boat dropped nearer and nearer to the doomed
ship, under the guidance of her able coxswain. As it passed under the
stern a cheer burst from the crowd of eager faces that gazed over the
side of the "Trident." Yet there were many hearts there that grew faint
and chill when they beheld the little white speck that seemed to be
their only hope of rescue in that dark hour. "What hope was there that
such a nutshell should save them all?" they thought, perchance, on
seeing it approach. They little knew the wonderful vitality of a
lifeboat!

Just as it passed under the quarter, a sea swept it right up into the
mizzen-chains. The utmost efforts of the crew to fend off were
unavailing. As the billow rolled on, the boat dropt swiftly, scraping
against the ship's side as it fell into the trough of the sea, and
escaping an upset almost by a miracle.

"Throw a line aboard!" shouted Bax, who stood on the lee bulwarks, high
above the crowd, holding on by the mizzen-shrouds.

The middy caught up the instrument used for this purpose, and threw a
line on board at once. This steadied the boat a little, and, watching
their opportunity, they succeeded in lowering three women and a child
into it by means of a bow-line.

In this way, one by one, the females and children were placed in the
boat until it was full. Then there was a cry to shove off, and a rush
was made by the more timid and ignorant among the passengers, who
thought they were about to be forsaken. Bax had foreseen this