n the stranger. The evening was drawing
on: the gale was increasing.

"Hand the topgallant sails!" shouted the captain. The crew were going
aloft when there came a loud crash. The fore and main topgallant masts
were carried away. Two poor fellows were struck--one fell dead on the
deck, the other was knocked overboard. To heave-to was impossible. The
wreck of the masts was cleared away, and two reefs taken in the
topsails, and the courses brailed up. The frigate flew on at her utmost
speed. It was now almost night, and it was feared that the chase would
escape in the darkness. Still it was possible, with the heavy gale
blowing, that she might continue on the course she was steering.

When darkness came down over the ocean the chase could still be seen
through the night-glasses, standing as before. As night, however, drew
on, clouds gathered thickly in the sky, the obscurity became greater,
the gale heavier, and after a tremendous squall, which struck the
frigate, had passed over, those on the look-out could nowhere discern
the chase.

The captain, however, did not believe that she had hauled her wind, and
hoped to come up with her perhaps with her masts gone. The master,
after speaking with the captain, had gone below to examine the chart,
but even that could not be relied on, as the part of the ocean they were
then in, was, in those days, but imperfectly known, and prudence
dictated that they should heave-to till daylight.

The captain, in the meantime, expecting every instant again to sight the
chase, kept the ship on her course. Ralph was standing aft with his two
young messmates, Chandos and Dickenson, who had become much attached to
him.

"What do you think of it, Michelmore? I don't like running into the
darkness as we are doing," observed the former.

"The darkness will not hurt us, and provided there are no rocks or
shoals in our course we may run on as safely as in the daytime,"
answered Ralph. "I examined the chart, and the nearest islands marked
on it are, if they are correctly laid down, full fifty leagues to the
south of us, though there are some shoals rather nearer."

The master, who had been below, returned hurriedly on deck, and spoke to
the captain.

"If so, we'll heave the ship to," was the answer.

Scarcely had the order been given to "Put the helm a-lee," than the
look-out forward shouted "Breakers ahead!" and the next instant a
fearful crashing sound was heard. The ship qui