position in which she was when the Cable went down, lower a grapnel, and drift down across the course of the track in which the Cable was supposed to be lying. Although all utterance of hope was suppressed, and no word of confidence escaped the lips, the mocking shadows of both were treasured in some quiet nook of the fancy. The doctrine of chances could not touch such a contingency as we had to speculate upon. The ship stood away some 13 or 14 miles from the spot where the accident occurred, and there lay-to in smooth water, with the Terrible in company. The grapnel, two five-armed anchors, with flukes sharply curved and tapering to an oblique tooth-like end--the hooks with which the giant Despair was going to fish from the Great Eastern for a take worth, with all its belongings, more than a million, were brought up to the bows. One of these, weighing 3 cwt., shackled and secured to wire buoy rope, of which there were five miles on board, with a breaking strain calculated at 10 tons, was thrown over at 3·20, ship’s time, and “whistled thro’” the sea, a prey to fortune. At first the iron sank slowly, but soon the momentum of descent increased, so as to lay great stress on the picking-up machinery, which was rendered available to lowering the novel messenger with warrant of search for the fugitive hidden in mysterious caverns beneath. Length flew after length over cog-wheel and drum till the iron, warming with work, heated so as to convert the water thrown upon the machinery into clouds of steam. The time passed heavily. The electricians’ room was closed; all their subtle apparatus stood functionless, and cell, zinc, and copper threw off superfluous currents in the darkened chamber. The jockeys had run their race, and reposed in their iron saddles. The drums beat no more, their long réveillée ended in the muffled roll of death; that which had been broken could give no trouble to break, and man shunned the region where all these mute witnesses were testifying to the vanity of human wishes. All life died out in the vessel, and no noise was heard except the dull grating of the wire-rope over the wheels at the bows. The most apathetic would have thought the rumble of the Cable the most grateful music in the world.