ming o

the morning after Easter Day, with a fair wind, for the outer Hebrides, she had run through the North Channel by the middle of the week, and put into Whitehaven on the Friday. Next day she had stood out

and when folks asked if the Methodists had got hold of him that he had turned honest in his old age, he closed one rheumy yellow eye very knowingly, tipped one black thumb over his shoulder

a favorite among the crew; he spoke English well, but was no good at a yarn in the forecastle; he was silent, gloomy, not too fond of work, and often the butt of his mates in many a lumbering jest that he did not seem to see. He had signed on the wharf on the

lley fire, "but none so simple at all. Aw no, no, no; and

Jason, son of Rach

ith a stiff breeze on the port quarter, the Peveril had been driven due west from Whitehaven on the heavy current from the Solway Frith, until she had met the current from the North Channel and then she had tacked down towards

t, Davy?" he had sa

as plain," said Davy; and th

e watch, had sidled up to him at intervals and held a conversat

f Man on the star

' say n

here lon

rs afore you we

of my countrymen

e, boy;

t wa

fist at him like a sledge; and a rough enough divil, too, and ye

as he,

n these tee

t was hi

it's clane gone at me; but it's one

it St

and a middlin'

hen w

hat's that they're callin' the ould Kin

rr

for sure. Then it's l

at is-

elati

is he sti

s unknownced to me th

s he liv

way, by the So

ut into the ha

er the side quiet-like in the night, you know, eighteen-p

do we lie

w or two. We never us

nothin

ks, and growling at the darkness of the forecastle, for the slush-lamp had not yet been lighted. And just then, above the muttered curses, the tramping of heavy boots and the swish of oilskins that were being shaken to drain them, there arose the sweet song of a bird. It was Jason's canary, singing in the dark corner of his bunk a foot above his head, for on coming below the lad had thrown himself down in his wet clothes. The growling came to an end, the shuffling of feet stopped, and the men paused a moment to listen, and then burst into peals of

d one; "you go bail there's a storm brewin

, I'll screw the neck

" said old Davy;

on saw the man coming towards his bunk, and laid hol

renched open the door of the cage. The song stopped; there was a short rustle of wings, a slight chirp-chirp, and then a moment's silenc

ates sat and smoked under the lamp, Jason had leapt from his bunk, s

his face into the man's face

urgled out, with Jason's knuckl

d's sake, slack the grip," the two were parted. Then the man who had killed the bird went off, puffing and cursing between his chattering tee

'Lave him alone,' says I; 'the lad's quiet, but he'll be coorse enough if he's bothered. And my gough, boy, what a face at ye yander, when you were twissin' t

and the other men were laughing at Jason's adversary, and the dim forecastle under its spluttering slush-lamp echo

wind had whistled among the sheets, and the flying spray had smitten the men's faces, but though the mist had lifted, the sky had still hung low and dark, showing neither moon nor stars, nor any hint of the land that lay ahead. But straight for the land the vessel had been driving in the darkness, under the power of wind and tide. After a time the helmsman had sighted a solitary light close in on the lee bow. "Point of Ayre," he thought, and luffed o

d could now be plainly seen, and a strong tide was driving the vessel on to it. The helm was put hard to starboard, and the schooner's head began to pay off towards

u make of it?" sh

it's the Carick

nchor," roare

oment the schooner struck heavily; she was on the reef in Ra

gue was from the cottage of three old net weavers, who had lived there without woman or girl, or chick or child, through more than forty years. Two or three were brothers, Danny and Jemmy Kewley, both over seventy years old, and their housemate, who was ninety, and had been a companion of their father, was known as Juan McLady. Danny and Jemmy still worked at the looms year in and year out, every working hou

n the chimney hook and stirred the peats. Then to make them boil the quicker he had gone out with the tongs to the side of the house for some dry gorse from

rd time inside a month. I'll go

them, and then, with the click-clack of the levers behind him, he had thought he heard, over the deep boom and plash of the sea in front, a voice like a cry. Going indoors he had said

over them, went out for the salt herrings, to where they hung to dry on a stick against the sunny side of the porch, he was sure that above the click of the levers, the boom and plash of the sea and the whistle of the wind, he cou

ame as the wind,

the nightman,"

precious minutes when the crew of the schooner were fighting in the grip of death in the darkness, these thre

ugh the door that he had left open the

t's yander,"

aid old

ip on the Carick

and look," s

nd their deaf ears to hear, and clinging to each other's hands like little children, groped thei

an; and leaving behind them the voices that cried for hel

heads thrust through. Very soon the house and courtyard echoed with many footsteps, and

now that help seemed to be no more needed the people came flocking down in crowds-the Fairbrothers, with Greeba, and all their men and maids, Kane Wade the Methodist, with Chalse A'Killey, who had been sleeping the night at his house, Nary Crowe, and Matt Mylechreest and old Coobragh. And while Davy Kerruish shook the salt water from his sou'wester, and growled out to them with an oath

he sea. It was a wild shriek that seemed to echo in the l

one left on the

looked into each oth

e skipper, "w

ce more; it was a vo

art jammed between two horns of the rock that forks out into the sea from Maughold Head. She had clearly been making for the little bay, when she had fallen foul of the shoal that lies to the north of it. Dark as the night was, the sea and sky were lighter than the black headland, and the figure of

and pushed off. But the tide was still making, the sea was running high, a low ground swell was scooping up the shingle and fl

dared not fix her mind upon it. She was afraid of her own fear. But, low down within her, and ready at any moment to leap to her throat, was the dim ghost of a dread that he who was in the boat, and in danger of

and answered, "He's past saving," and "We've got wives and childer

ow pushed through to where she stood, and said, "H

. It was Jason. He had found a rope and coiled one end of it about his waist, and held the other end in his hand. The touch of Greeba's quivering lips had been as fire to him. "Lay hold

aid Greeba, in

s mad, I'm calling

?" said th

Icelander,"

e lad J

awk, as they're saying. Poor

to scream. Wading with strong strides, and swimming with yet stronger strokes, Jason reach

ad. Greeba stooped quickly to peer into his face in the darkness, and t

" said Jason, p

cried a sco

etch a lanter

yonder. Let's away there with him. It wi

d the insensible man and carr

ane Wade. "Slip along, somebo

Killey ra

he's not out with us at work same

here all week,"

knocking at the door, and c

tephen! Ste

and he knocked again

s in. There's a

ithin the house. "He

e up, man-can't you hear us? Have you

-force the door,"

d it fell open with a crash. Then the men with the burden staggered into the house. They laid the ins

ey cried, "it's St