he ship was hull down. The captain might not dare
to venture so near a rocky coast, off which unknown reefs might lie hid,
even to save their lives.

In a short time the body of the whale scarcely afforded them shelter,
and the seas, rolling over it, broke on board. The crew cried out that
they should be swamped, and proposed pulling for the island and landing
on the rocks.

"We shall have a chance of saving our lives, and it will be better than
being swamped out here!" exclaimed the man who had first spoken.

"We shall have but a poor chance if we attempt to land on the rocks, I
tell you that, lads," said old Tom. "I would rather keep hold of the
whale."

Still the men declared that they would, at all events, rather chance it.

Just as they were speaking, the clouds to windward appeared to open, and
a bright light darted from the sky. This decided old Tom, for he knew
that it was the sign of a still further increase of wind.

"I hope we shall not have to run on the rocks," he said; "just, however,
as we made fast to the whale, I observed an opening in the surf. It was
a very narrow one, though. If we can find it we will attempt to run
through, for there is sure to be a harbour inside, and we have no other
hope of saving our lives that I can see."

The boat was accordingly cast off from the whale, and her head being
kept to the seas, to prevent her from being swamped, the crew exerted
all their strength to gain the land. Ahead appeared a long line of
roaring, foaming breakers, with a rocky shore beyond, and the dim
outline of the dark hills farther on. For an hour or more they pulled
on, but no opening in the mass of foaming breakers could be discerned.
They were beginning to despair, when old Tom said that he could see the
place he was in search of, for he had remarked the peculiar shape of the
hills at that spot. He accordingly steered in for the shore. Harry and
Dickey, however, could see nothing but the threatening breakers.

"It's very awful!" observed Dickey to his companion. "I wish I was
prepared to die. It's bad enough now, and if the boat once gets caught
in those breakers it will be all over with us. Harry, can you say any
prayers?"

"I am trying to do so," said Harry, who saw the danger as well as
Dickey.

Old Tom was too much occupied to make any remark. He kept his eye
steadily fixed on a dark patch of water which appeared in the white line
of foam, and he steered towards it. The