As broke the fourteenth morning yet forlorn, Paul, unconfessed the captain of the ship And master of his fellow voyagers, In the dim twilight of the struggling dawn Stood on the slippery deck amidst them all And stoutly cheered them to take heart of hope Break their long fast and brace themselves with food. "For not a hair shall fall from off the head Of any one of you," said he, and took Therewith himself, in act more eloquent Than spoken word, bread and gave thanks to God In presence of them all; then breaking it Forthwith began to eat; this heartened them That they likewise strengthened themselves with meat. Thus comforted, once more the laboring ship They lighten of her lading and the wheat Sow in the barren brine. The land descried They knew not, but there was no land unknown That were not better than that wallowing sea. So, cutting loose their anchors, they made sail And drove the vessel aground upon a beach, Where the keel plunged into the yielding sand Which closing heavy upon it held her fast; But the free stern rocked on the billowing surge That soon atwain must break her in the midst. Hardness of habit and of discipline Partly, and partly a self-regarding fear Lest they be held to answer with their lives, If even amid the mortal panic pangs Of shipwreck they should let their charge escape, Made now those Roman soldiers, in the jaws Themselves yet of the common peril hung, Ready to put their prisoners to the sword; But Julius stayed them for the sake of Paul. "You that can swim," he shouted, "overboard!" Some thus, and some on spars buoyed up, and some On other floatage of the breaking wreck, They all got safe to shore, not one soul lost. The master of the rescue still was Paul; Calm, but alert, completely self-possessed-- (Possessor of himself, yet not himself Considering, save to sacrifice himself Freely at need); his courage and his hope Inspiring hope and courage; self-command In him aweing the rest to self-command; His instinct instant and infallible Amid the terror and the turbulence,-- Winds howling and sea heaving and strait room For nigh three hundred souls in face of death!-- Each moment seeing ere the moment passed What the need was and what the measure meet To match it--that serene old man and high Was as an angel there descended who Could had he chosen at once have stayed the storm, But rather chose to wield it as he would.