Hitherto she had brought disaster to her foes; now she was bringing it to friends.

She had already proved the ruin of the _Olga_, the one ship that had rid out the hurricane in safety; now she beheld across her course the submerged _Vandalia_, the tops filled with exhausted seamen.

Happily the approach of the _Trenton_ was gradual, and the time employed to advantage.

Rockets and lines were thrown into the tops of the friendly wreck; the approach of danger was transformed into a means of safety; and before the ships struck, the men from the _Vandalia's_ main and mizzen masts, which went immediately by the board in the collision, were already mustered on the _Trenton's_ decks.

Those from the foremast were next rescued; and the flagship settled gradually into a position alongside her neighbour, against which she beat all night with violence.