and sober faces in the fire. For all that these men
followed the sea, and it was almost a native element to them, they
seemed to have a great dread and awe of it. Trafford yet stood apart
from them with his eyes looking into the dense night, and Hagar, all
muffled in her great cloak, swayed slowly to and fro with her face
hidden. Oh, the suspense and agony of those minutes!--the weary
watching and waiting for--what?

It came at last. In the short space of silence between the bursting of
two great waves, there rose a cry from out the great waste of darkness
beyond their little length and breadth of light. Trafford started and
sprang forward. The men around the fire were startled from their
crouching positions by this shrill, sudden shout, and looked in one
another's faces and--waited. But the cry was not repeated. Then Dirk
said,--

"It wur the skipper, sure. O Lord, men! but I be feared the 'Gull' be
on the rocks, yender."

The sweat stood in drops on his forehead, and he slowly clinched and
unclinched his great brawny hands. Trafford heard his words, and a
sudden faintness like death smote him. But it passed away, and in
sudden frenzy and despair he rushed up to Dirk, exclaiming,--

"How do you know, man? How can you tell? There was only a cry!"

Before Dirk could answer, there rose, clear and distinct, that one
solitary voice from out the darkness,--a fearful, appealing cry for
aid from some human heart out there in the awful presence of death.
And that thrilling cry was all. It never came again. Trafford beat his
breast with agony. Then he turned upon the fishermen.

"Why do you stand here," he cried, furiously, "when they are perishing
out there? My boy is there!--my boy that's done so much for you and
yours! Will you let him drown without lifting a hand to save him?"

"It be no use to try," said the men, pointing to the surf; "boat's ud
crack like a gull's shell out there."

"But try,--only try!" shouted Trafford, in an agonized tone. "If money
will tempt you, you shall have all of mine! You shall have more than
ever your eyes saw before! I will make you all rich!--only try,--only
try!"

"We'd try soon enough for the young master's sake, an' ye might keep
yer gold," said Dirk; "but it wud be no use, an' only losin' of life.
The lad be beyont our help or yer gold, either."

"'Tain't de money nor de lands dat'll do, now," moaned Hagar; "it's
only de Lord!"

"But think of it, you u