d many
of the fishermen said to themselves that the next time that they saw
Will Marion and Josh it would be beaten and bruised by wave and rock,
and cast up upon the shore.

But the signals, jerks of the rope, kept coming, and men perched
themselves high up among the rocks to watch the progress of the boat
with their glasses, but in vain. All they could see was an occasional
glimpse of the mizen of the ship, with a dark patch of clustering
humanity.

The life-saving gear had meanwhile been carried to the spot whence the
boat was started; and there was hope yet that a connection might be made
between the vessel and the rocks.

But time went on--time, confused by the roar of wind and wave, and there
was no sign. It had seemed utter madness for that boat to be sent forth
into such a chaos of waters; but there are things which some men call
mad often adventured by the brave fishers of our coast.

All at once Dick started from his father's side to run to Uncle Abram,
who had seated himself slowly upon a block of stone about which the foam
floated to and fro on a few inches of water. The old man sank down in a
way whose action Dick read at once, for the old fellow let his head go
down upon his hands, and these rested upon his knees; and as he saw the
air of utter dejection, Dick felt that poor Will must have been lost.

It seemed so horrible, so strange, that as Dick reached Abram Marion's
side he sank down on his knees beside the old man, caught at his hands,
and literally sobbed out:

"Oh! don't say he's drowned; don't say he's drowned."

There was quite a lull as he spoke; and as the old man felt the touch of
the boy's clinging hands he laid his own upon his head with a strange
far-off look in his eyes.

"I don't say so; I won't say so!" he cried in a hoarse, passionate way.
"My brave, true lad! but I oughtn't to have let him go."

"Hurrah!"

A loud cheer from near the water's edge, and a quick, bustling movement
among the men; and then down came the storm again, as if it had been
taking breath, and the roar was deafening.

But the boat had reached the ship, of course getting under her lee, and
her daring little crew had climbed on board. For there was the proof--
the life-gear had been attached to the end of the line, and it was being
rapidly dragged from the shore out towards the wreck.

A long, anxious time ensued, during which, while the sea end was being
secured to the wreck, the shore end of the l