The ship as she came to heeled over almost on her beam ends, while the seas broke over her, driving the masses of spray into the eyes of the crew, so that they could scarcely see a few yards before them, while the lee side of the deck was almost under water. Although no signs of a leak had hitherto been discovered, the acting carpenter, who had been ordered to sound the well, came aft with a pale face, announcing that a large quantity of water had found its way below. "Man the pumps!" was the answer, and the already hard-worked crew were soon labouring away to clear the ship. So often, however, were the nozzles of the pumps under water, that the men could not tell whether they were drawing or not, and the cry, "Hold on for your lives!" compelled them frequently to let go and clamber into the rigging, or hold on by the stanchions, while a furious sea swept over the deck, threatening to carry them away. Again darkness had come on. Except a closely reefed fore-topsail and mizzen-trysail, not a sail remained. She was furiously plunging into the seas, when once more a report was heard, and the fore-topsail was seen blowing away in shreds. Directly afterwards the spanker gaff came down, and now not a shred of canvas remained, the ship in consequence drifting bodily to leeward. Most of the crew were forward, the officers and some of the men remaining on the poop. Among the former were Dick and Ben. "I thought things were getting very bad," said Ben. "They could not be worse." "What, then, do you think will happen?" asked Dick. "Why, we shall either go down or be driven ashore. It matters little which, for if the ship strikes there's little chance of any of us reaching the land, with these seas breaking over her, and then sweeping everything before them. I know what it is on our own coast. With such a hurricane as we have got blowing, it will be ten times worse." "Then is there no chance of saving our lives if we strike?" asked Dick. "Our best chance is to get hold of a piece of wreck and hold fast to it. You may be washed on shore, or you may be carried out to sea--it is six of one and half a dozen of the other. You may depend upon it, there's a watery grave for some of us before the night is over." Dick felt his heart sink, but he remembered the prayers his mother had taught him. He tried to pray for himself; he knew, too, that she would be praying for him. His courage rose, he determined to struggle bravely for life. Ben advised that they should go forward and stick to the forecastle. "That generally holds together the longest, and will give us a better chance of life," he observed. "Don't let go until the ship breaks up, and then you will have no choice, and must do as I before told you." Dick replied that he would follow his advice, and they made their way to the forecastle.