g wave ready to
break, and the sea sucking away beneath its keel--bared for half its
length.

Crash! Down the boat was dashed, with a blow that (so it seemed to the
unaccustomed spectators) must tear it asunder.

The crew were dashed from their places by the shock. The waiting
longshoremen ran to seize the broken boat and drag it above high-water
mark. One of the crew was sucked back with the undertow and disappeared
for a full minute. But he came in, high on the next wave, and they caught
and saved him.

To the amazement of Ruth Fielding and her young companions, none of
the seven men who had manned the boat seemed much the worse for their
experience. They breathed heavily and their faces were grim. She could
almost have sworn that the youngest of the crew--he had the figure "6"
worked on the sleeve of his coat--had tears of disappointment in his eyes.

"It's a desperate shame, lads!" croaked old Cap'n Abinadab. "We're
bested. And the old boat's badly smashed. But there's one thing
sure--no other boat, nor no other crew, couldn't do what we started
to do. Ain't no kick comin' on that score."

"And can't the poor creatures out there be helped? Must they drown?"
whispered Helen in Ruth's ear.

Ruth did not believe that these men would give up so easily. They were
rough seamen; but the helplessness of the castaways appealed to them.

"Come on, boys!" commanded the captain of the life saving crew.
"Let's git out the wagon. I don't suppose there's any use, unless
there comes a lull in this etarnal gale. But we'll try what gunpowder
will do."

"What are they going to attempt now?" Madge Steele asked.

"The beach wagon," said somebody. "They've gone for the gear."

This was no explanation to the girls until Tom Cameron came running back
from the house and announced that the crew were going to try to reach
the schooner with a line.

"They'll try to save them with the breeches buoy," he said. "They've
got a life-car here; but they never use that thing nowadays if they can
help. Too many castaways have been near smothered in it, they say. If
they can get a line over the wreck they'll haul the crew in, one at a
time."

"And that girl!" cried Ruth. "I hope they will send her ashore first.
How frightened she must be."

There was no more rain falling now, although the spray whipped from the
crests of the waves was flung across the beach and wet the sightseers.
But with the lightening of the clouds a pale glow seemed