en we see her.
There was a bar jest about opposite the cable station--it's been washed
away sence--and she'd struck on that, and the sea was makin' a clean
breach over her. There was a ha'f a dozen of her crew lashed in the
riggin', but I didn't see 'em move, so I presume likely they was froze
stiff then, for 'twas perishin' cold. But we wrastled the boat down to
the water and was jest goin' to launch her when the whole three masts
went by the 'board, men and all. We put off to her, but she was in a
reg'lar soapsuds of a sea and awash from stem to stern, so we knew there
was nothin' livin' aboard.

"Yes, siree," continued the Captain meditatively, "that was a mean
night. I had this ear frost-bit, and it's been tender ever sence. One
of the fellers had a rib broke; he was a little light chap, and the wind
jest slammed him up against the cart like as if he was a chip. And jest
to show you," he added, "how the tide runs around this place, the bodies
of that crew was picked up from Wellmouth to Setuckit P'int--twenty-mile
stretch that is. The skipper's body never come ashore. He had a son,
nice young feller, that was goin' to meet him in Boston, and that boy
spent a month down here, waitin' for his father's body to be washed up.
He'd walk up and down this beach, and walk up and down. Pitiful sight as
ever I see."

"And they were all lost?" asked Elsie with a shiver.

"Every man Jack. But 'twas cu'rus about that hemp. The Bluebell was
loaded with it, as I told you, and when she went to pieces the tide
took that hemp and strung it from here to glory. They picked it up all
'longshore, and for much as a month afterwards you'd go along the 'main
road' over in the village, and see it hung over fences or spread out in
the sun to dry. Looked like all the blonde girls in creation had had a
hair-cut."

"Captain Davis," said Ralph, "you must have seen some plucky things in
your life. What was the bravest thing you ever saw done?"

The life saver took the cigar that Hazeltine had given him from his
mouth, and blew the smoke into the air over his head.

"Well," he said slowly, "I don't know exactly. I've seen some pretty
gritty things done 'long-shore here, in the service. When there's
somebody drowndin', and you know there's a chance to save 'em, you'll
take chances, and think nothin' of 'em, that you wouldn't take if you
had time to set down and cal'late a little. I see somethin' done once
that may not strike you as bein' anyth