He met his end like a brave man in the great October gale which all of
us remember. He was down on the pier smoking with his friends in the
watch-house and looking out occasionally for distressed vessels. The
great seas were hurling themselves over the stone-work and shattering
into wild wreaths of foam on the sand. Strong men who showed themselves
outside full in the face of the wind were blown down flat as if they had
been tottering children. The wind sounded as though it were blown
through a huge trumpet, and the sea was running nine feet on the bar. A
small vessel fought through, and appeared likely to get into the
fairway. She showed her port light for a time, and all seemed going
well. Suddenly she opened both her red and her green lights, and it was
seen that she was coming dead on for the pier. Presently she struck
hard, within thirty yards of the stone-work. There was wild excitement
amongst the brigade men, for they saw that she must be smashed into
matchwood in five minutes. The rockets were got ready; but before a shot
could be fired the ill-fated vessel gave way totally. A great sea rushed
along the side of the pier, and the pilot saw something black amongst
the travelling water. "There's a man!" he shouted; and without a
moment's thought plunged in, calling on the other fellows to pitch him a
rope. Had he tied a line around his waist before he jumped he would have
been all right. As it was, the Dutchman whom he tried to save was washed
clean on to the pier and put safely to bed in the brigade-house. The
pilot was not found until two days afterwards.
AN UGLY CONTRAST.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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