clinging about the stump of the
mizzenmast. More than that I could not just then make out, owing--as I
have said--to the exasperatingly wild motion aloft; but I had at least
ascertained the important fact that, with careful attention to the helm,
we should fetch her on our present tack; and with that I was compelled
to be for the nonce satisfied.

We were evidently nearing her very fast, much faster than I had dared to
hope, for upon my return to the deck after my somewhat protracted
investigation I found that we had risen her from the deck, and all hands
were intently watching for a glimpse of her every time that we rose to
the crest of a sea, notwithstanding the deluges of spray that flew
incessantly in over our weather-bow. My passengers were of course
intensely excited and interested and sympathetic at the idea of a real
genuine wreck and the possibility of a rescue, even Lady Emily seeming
to have utterly forgotten her ailments in her anxiety to see as much as
possible. To their credit, however, be it said, they were considerate
enough to abstain from tormenting me with ridiculous questions,
evidently realising that I had at that moment more important matters
occupying my thoughts.

And truly I had; for there was the question of how the people, if any,
were to be taken off the wreck. For it must not be forgotten that, hard
as we were driving the ship, it was still blowing with the force of
quite a strong gale; while the sea was so tremendously heavy that,
though a boat, moderately loaded, could undoubtedly live in it if once
fairly launched, the task of safely launching her and getting her away
from the ship in such weather, and, still more, in getting her
alongside, either to ship or to unship people, presented so many
difficulties as almost to amount to an impossibility. Fortunately, our
boats were all fitted with a most excellent pattern of patent releasing
tackle, but for which I should not have felt justified in risking the
lives of my men by asking them to undertake such a desperate task. As
to the possibility of the wreck being able to lower a boat, the thought
presented itself only to be instantly dismissed; for, with the sea
breaking so heavily over her as I had seen, it was to the last degree
improbable that any of her boats had so far escaped damage as to be
capable of floating, even had they escaped total destruction. True,
there was a bare possibility that the strait of those on the wreck migh