Fortunately, her course had been shifted immediately after the rescue of the child; and, in consequence of this movement, she received the first shock of the hurricane, which blew from the southwest, upon her stern.

Her head dipped deeply into the current, and she narrowly escaped being swamped.

Righting, however, instantly afterwards, she scudded with the greatest rapidity over the boiling waves, to whose mercy she was now entirely abandoned.

On this fresh outburst of the storm, Wood threw himself instinctively into the bottom of the boat, and clasping the little orphan to his breast, endeavoured to prepare himself to meet his fate.
While he was thus occupied, he felt a rough grasp upon his arm, and presently afterwards Ben's lips approached close to his ear.

The waterman sheltered his mouth with his hand while he spoke, or his voice would have been carried away by the violence of the blast.
"It's all up, master," groaned Ben, "nothin' short of a merracle can save us.