off, and she would steer; I therefore made up my mind to keep on as far as I could with safety, hoping to see some inlet, as the current proved there must be a passage somewhere; but if I could not discover one, to bump her on the sandy beach. She went along cleverly, for a vessel almost a wreck; that is, she was not at all water-logged, and consequently in no danger of sinking; hence on that score my great fear was removed. I soon approached the mountainous promontory, which seemed to stand up before me like a vast giant, to obstruct my further progress: I therefore determined to bump her on shore. The wind, by striking against the high land, blew directly from east, which favoured my intention. I then put the helm up, and that, together with the fore-staysail, brought her head west, and I ran for the beach close under the promontory. How great my joy when I discovered an inlet, not twice the vessel's breadth. I pushed into it, and in a few minutes found myself at the end of a little cove, with rocks and fragments of rocks on my larboard side, and a fine sandy beach on my right, with the same ahead. Here the brig struck, and stuck fast with her bow: the shock threw myself and my wife forward with great violence; and we were both more bruised by this happy event, than by all the tossings and tumblings we had experienced during the hurricane." Blessed be God!" cried I, getting up and shaking myself: but my dear Eliza was stunned, and it was some time before she recovered her senses. Eventful as our situation was, I thought of nothing but her: I sat down by her, and

rubbed her hands between mine: she looked up and smiled; then raising her arm over my neck, and kissing my forehead, as she was often wont to do, said, "I thank God you are safe, my Edward !”

CHAP. III.

WE saw ourselves at length delivered from the perils of the ocean, and placed in a state of security: we raised our hearts to the fountain of mercy, and blessed God in thankfulness. It was, however, some time before we could collect ourselves: we looked back upon the ocean, and the reef, and the rocky islands, from whose horrors we so lately had escaped, - with strong emotions still partaking of terror, although now in safety; and this feeling was somewhat increased by the immediate sight of the immense cliffs, which towered over the masthead of the brig, as if ready to fall upon us. But it was not long before our self-possession completely returned: we were in a snug place, and the sea all on this side of the reef, to far beyond us, perfectly smooth: our fears, therefore, gradually dissipated; we felt ourselves under God's protection, and were at ease.

"Poor Fidele!" suddenly exclaimed my wife, "it is only now that I remember thee! I will go down into the cabin, and see what has become of my faithful little dog." "Yes, my Eliza," replied I, "we will go down together; and as we are in a safe place here, where the sea cannot break in upon the vessel, I will get out the dead lights,

and let the cheerful day, and fresh air, into the cabin by opening the windows; we shall then see what we are about." The poor dog was overjoyed by the first admission of light, and by our presence; he could not contain himself; to use a homely but expressive phrase, he seemed as if he would jump out of his skin; his caresses were incessant, and he could only be restrained by his mistress taking him on her knee. I soon succeeded in getting all the dead lights out: we then saw the devastation that had taken place below; tables, chairs, swinging lamp, chests, trunks, and many other things, huddled together, and some smashed to pieces. How the dog escaped without broken bones, I cannot divine; but we also had escaped; and a sparrow falleth not to the ground, without the permission of our heavenly Father.

We now felt, and acknowledged our exhaustion; so that I earnestly wished to get something to refresh my dear wife; but I could not find any bread, nor, indeed, any thing else, at the instant. Soon, however, I laid my hand on an unbroken bottle of wine, jammed up in one of the berths, and forcing in the cork, we each took a small quantity; then reclining on the after-lockers, to repose ourselves a little, we both fell asleep. I suppose I slept some hours; for when I awoke, I looked up, and saw my Eliza sitting by me, with Fidele at her side: she had been watching me in my sleep. "Dear Edward," said she, " you have taken a sweet rest: how delightfully the breeze blows in upon us, through the cabin windows! I should now be very comfortable, if we could find the boat with our companions."

I arose, and set about hunting for some biscuit, and found the bag I had intended to throw into the long boat it was hanging on a nail behind the ladder; and there, at my feet, I saw our two goats, huddled together behind a hammock some one had stowed away in that place the preceding day. I brought the bag along with me joyfully, and we began to eat of it with thankfulness; taking a little sup of the wine now and then from the bottle, which, in our exhausted state, was great refreshment and support to us. I told Eliza I had seen the goats, and that they were alive. We now went upon deck, taking Fidele with us: in passing, I handled the poor animals, as they lay in the nook under the ladder: one of them, I was sorry to find, had its hinder leg broke: we felt pity for the poor creature, but could not at that instant attend to it; for it occurred to me, that the bow of the vessel should be immediately secured by ropes to the rocks, as another hurricane might come, and blow us out of the creek, in which the good providence of God had havened us. There was plenty of rope on deck, sheets and halliards of the wreck with some of these I quickly got on shore, the larboard side of the brig being close to the rock, and set about making them fast round large blocks of cliff on our larboard bow; then rested content, after three or four hours great exertion, with what I had done.

While I was thus employed, my wife had taken the dead fowls from the coops, and broken some biscuit in small pieces, with which she fed the remaining live ones. "We can eat one of the drowned fowls," observed I; "it will be a good