d. In this he was mistaken. The
whole sea around and beyond him was beset with reefs, which at that
moment were covered with foam. Had daylight revealed the scene, he
would have been appalled. As it was, he stood stoutly and hopefully to
the helm while the cutter rushed wildly on her doom.

Suddenly she struck with terrific violence, and Henry was hurled to the
deck. Leaping up, he sprang again to the helm and attempted to put
about, but the shock had been so great that the whole framework of the
little craft was dislocated. The fastenings of the rudder had been torn
out, and she was unmanageable. The next wave lifted her over the reef
and the gale swept her away.

Even then the hopes of the young man did not quite fail him. He
believed that the last reef had now been passed, and that he would be
driven out to the open sea, clear at least of immediate danger. It was
a vain hope. In another moment the vessel struck for the third time,
and the mast went over the side. Again and again she rose and fell with
all her weight on the rocks. The last blow burst out her sides, and she
fell to pieces, a total wreck, leaving Henry struggling with the waves.

He seized the first piece of wood that came in his way, and clung to it.
For many hours he was driven about and tossed by the winds and waves
until he began to feel utterly exhausted, but he clung to the spar with
the tenacity of a drowning man. In those seas the water is not so cold
as in our northern climes, so that men can remain in it for a great
length of time without much injury. There are many instances of the
South Sea Islanders having been wrecked in their canoes, and having
spent not only hours but days in the water, clinging to broken pieces of
wood, and swimming for many miles, pushing these before them.

When, therefore, the morning broke, and the bright sun, shone out, and
the gale had subsided, Henry found himself still clinging to the spar,
and although much weakened, still able to make some exertion to save
himself.

On looking round he found that numerous pieces of the wreck floated near
him, and that the portion to which he clung was the broken lower-mast.
A large mass of the deck, with part of the gunwale attached to it, lay
close beside, him, held to the mast by one of the shrouds. He at once
swam to this, and found it sufficiently large to sustain his weight,
though not large enough to enable him to get quite out of the water.
While her