ly got a short distance back when we were overtaken by the
gloom of evening. The wind was blowing dead on shore, and a tremendous
sea running. We were casting our eyes over the German Ocean, when we
saw what we took to be a brig, with her mainmast gone, and several of
her sails blown away, evidently steering for Peterhead. Unable to keep
close to the wind, she was drifting every instant nearer and nearer the
shore.

"I fear she'll not weather that point," observed papa; "and if she comes
on shore, there'll be little chance for any of her people, as no
lifeboat could get near her."

We had passed a Coastguard station a little way to the northward. Uncle
Tom volunteered to hurry on, and I accompanied him--in case the people
there should not have observed the brig--to give them notice of the
danger she was in; that, should she strike, they might be ready to
render assistance with their rocket apparatus.

It was now quite dark, and we had great difficulty in making our way;
there was a risk of finding ourselves at the edge of some chasm, down
which we might fall. The distance seemed very long, and I thought we
must have missed the Coastguard station, which was situated at the edge
of the cliffs. At length, however, we saw a light gleaming from a
window, and arrived at the wall which enclosed the house where the
lieutenant and his men lived. We found them on the alert. Two had just
gone off for some horses to drag the waggon in which the rocket
apparatus was to be carried, as one of the men stationed to the
southward had seen the brig and reported her danger.

In the waggon were already placed the rocket tube, with three rocket
lines, several rockets, three spars to form a triangle, an anchor,
lantern, spades, and pickaxes, some signal rockets, a rope ladder, and a
sling life-buoy, with what are called "petticoat breeches" fastened to
it, in which a person can be placed.

There were also a strong hawser and a whip or fine rope, by which the
sling life-buoy was to be drawn backwards and forwards from the wreck to
the shore. By the time these were got into the waggon a couple of
horses had arrived, and a party of men immediately set off with the
waggon.

The lieutenant conducted us back by the way we had come; as he knew
every inch of the ground, we had no fear now of falling over the cliff.
We had not gone far before we saw a rocket thrown up about a mile to the
southward.

"It is as I feared," said the lieu