he case being desperate, he made the
attempt, and was sent away from the wreck with many earnest cautions to
"hold on tight and keep cool."

You may be sure that his progress was watched with intense anxiety by
Aileen, who stood close to Edgar as he hauled in the rope carefully.

"Oh! He will fall out," she cried in an agony as the rope dipped a
little, and let him just touch the roaring surf, when he was somewhat
more than half way over.

Edgar saw that her fears were not unlikely to be realised. He therefore
gave the rope to the seaman who had first come ashore, with orders to
haul steadily.

Owing to its position and the dipping of the life-buoy with its burden,
the cable formed a pretty steep slope from the shore. Throwing himself
on the cable, Edgar slid swiftly down this incline until stopped by the
buoy. The effect of course was to sink the machine deeper than ever,
insomuch that poor Mr Hazlit, unable any longer to withstand the
buffeting, threw up his arms with a cry of despair. Edgar caught him as
he was falling over.

"Here, put your arms round my neck," he cried, struggling violently to
fix himself firmly to the life-buoy.

The merchant obeyed instantly, giving the youth an embrace such as he
had never expected to receive at his hands! Even in that moment of
danger and anxiety, Edgar could not help smiling at the gaze of
unutterable wonder which Mr Hazlit cast on him through the salt water--
if not tears--that filled his eyes, for he had not seen the youth when
he jumped overboard.

"Haul away!" shouted our hero; but the words were stifled by a sea which
at the moment overwhelmed them.

The man at the line, however, knew what to do. He and some of the
passengers hauled steadily but swiftly on the line, and in a few seconds
the buoy, with its double freight, was brought safe to land. Mr Hazlit
was carried at once by his rescuer to a recess in the cliffs which was
partially protected from the storm, and Edgar, after doing what he could
to place him comfortably on the ground, left him to the care of his
daughter.

On his return to the beach he found the passengers who had been saved in
a state of great alarm because of the slipping backwards of the wreck,
which strained the cable so much that it had become as rigid as a bar of
iron. He began, therefore, to ply the means of rescue with redoubled
energy, for there were still some of the passengers and all the crew on
board; but suddenly, whil