Part 19 (2/2)

Only twenty were left out of the shi+p's coo in the long-boat, and six in the cutter Brandon, Beatrice, and Cato were to take the gig

The sailors put the gig out first The light boat floated buoyantly on the waters Cato leaped into her, and she was fastened by a long line to the shi+p The nies of the Malabar coast,the sweep of the waves which dashed around, and keeping sufficiently under the lee to escape the rougher waves, yet not so ainst the vessel

Then the sailors put out the long-boat This was a difficult undertaking, but it was successfully accomplished, and the men were all on board at last Instantly they prepared to roay

At thatover the shi+p It was as though the ocean, enraged at the escape of these rasp its prey Before the boat with its living freight had got rid of the vessel, the sweep of this gigantic wave, which had passed completely over the shi+p, struck it where it lay Brandon turned away his eyes involuntarily

There was a wild shriek--the next -boat, botto billows

The men aited to launch the cutter were at first paralyzed by this tragedy, but there was no time to lose Death threatened them behind as well as before; behind, death was certain; before, there was still a chance They launched the cutter in desperation The sixout at some distance As wave after wave rose and fell she disappeared froht that she at least was safe

Then he raised his hand and nal to Cato

The Hindu understood it Brandon had given him his directions before; noas the tiible] up was for the present less dangerous

Beatrice, who during the whole storm had been calm, and had quietly done whatever Brandon told her, was noaiting at the cabin-door in obedience to his directions

As soon as Brandon had nal he hurried to the cabin-door and assisted Beatrice to the quarter-deck Cato rowed his boat close up to the shi+p, and aiting for a chance to come within reach The waves were still more moderate It was the opportunity for which Cato had been watching so long He held his oars poised, and, as a sudden swell of a wave rose near the shi+p, he forced his boat so that it cah on the crest of the swell

As the wave rose, Brandon also had watched his opportunity as well as the action of Cato It was theIn an instant, and without a word, he caught Beatrice in his arh in the air, poised hi forward into the boat His foot rested firmly on the seat where it struck He set Beatrice down, and with a knife severed the line which connected the boat with the shi+p

Then seizing an oar he began to roith all his strength Cato had the bow oar The next wave ca itself to the water, rolled on, dashi+ng against the shi+p andthe boat with it, and bearing it along But the boat was now under command, and the ters held it so that while it was able to avoid the dash of the water, it could yet gain froiven

Brandon handled the oar with a dexterity equal to that of the Hindu, and under suchand skillful, the boat ski waves, and passed out into the sea beyond There the great surges ca about to crush the little bark in its resistless grasp, but notwithstanding the threat the boat seeer, for as each wave came forward the boat would rise up till it was on a level with the crest, and the flood of waters would sweep on underneath, bearing it onward

After nearly half an hour's anxious and careful rowing Brandon looked all about to find the cutter It was nowhere to be seen Again and again he looked for it, seeking in all directions But he discovered no sign of it on the raging waters, and at last he could no longer doubt that the cutter also, like long-boat, had perished in the sea

All day long they rowed before the wind and wave--not strongly, but lightly, so as to husband their strength Night came, when Brandon and Cato took turns at the oars--not over-exerting the chiefly to keep the boat's head in proper direction, and to evade the rush of the waves This last was their constant danger, and it required the utmost skill and the most incessant watchfulness to do so

[Illustration: ”WITHOUT A WORD HE CAUGHT BEATRICE IN HIS ARMS” ETC]

All this time Beatrice sat in the stern, with a heavy oil-cloth coat around her, which Brandon directed her to put on, saying nothing, but seeing every thing with her watchful, vigilant eyes

”Are you afraid?” said Brandon once, just after they had evaded an enormous wave

”No!” was the reply, in a calm, sweet voice; ”I trust in you”

”I hope your trust may not be vain,” replied Brandon

”You have saved my life so often,” said Beatrice, ”that my trust in you has now become a habit”

She s in her tone which sank deep into his soul

The night passed and ht the wind had been reatly subsided Brandon's foresight had secured a , and now, as soon as it could be erected with safety, he put it up, and the little boat dashed bravely over the waters The waves had lessened greatly as the day wore on; they no longer rose in such giant masses, but showed merely the more coet some rest from their exhaustive labors Beatrice at last yielded to Brandon's earnest request, and, finding that the immediate peril had passed, and that his toil for the present was over, she obtained some sleep and rest for herself