The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-02-14

quired. Az the shade fell lower and lower,
the wind rise higher and higher. The
bowling blasts galloped down through the
hollows and struck the brown sail of the
coble like the sound of musketry. The
boat lay hard over and tie water leaped in
spurts over her lee gunwale. They
reached the point where the Oobbler's Stone
stood. Tommy was in strange state of
exsltation. He pointed to the misty shore,
then to the black stone round which the
water was seething. He said quietly, lyon.
der, my lads, is where / found Salvation. /"
They rounded the point and put the
bosrs head nearer 10 the windwsrd. A
harsh, ripping sound was heard under the
bottom. She lay hard over until q blast
came and tore her clear. Billy Armstrong
said,
You have taken her in bit too near,
my son. The bilge checks is both pulled
of; look you, they're gone away astern.'
And sure enough two long plsnks drifted
away behind the boat. They had been
torn off by the force with which she rushed
upon the outlying rock. Tommy said,
"Let's have another reef in, mates" But
before the sail could be half lowered q
storming gust swept out of the bay and
struck the boat with q savage roar. The
long rudder smashed; green sea doubled
up behind her, and she turned over exactly
as the coble had done when Tommy first
prayed.
In the wild waves it was hard FOR the
men to get hold. The bilge chocks were
gone and thus all chance of hand grip
was lost. Half way down the square stern
of the boot a hole had been bored, through
which rope had been passed and knotted
at both ends. This rope served the men in
hauling the boat down to the sea. Only
one could hold on to this short scrap, and
Tommy, who was the first to think of IL,
seized it and held on with all the strength
of his despair. The boat lunged and struck
the faces Of the two men who were holding
on to her sides. Billy Armstrong was
bleeding from the mouth, and his front
teeth were gone-dsshed out by one terri
| BILE stroke which had met him as he tried to
climb and catch hold of the deep iron keel
in the fore part of the cobble. The other
man said suddenly, 81 have got broken
arm, Tommy" A few awful minutes
went By, during which the men dared not
speak-only Tommy was perfectly safe.
| The others were slipping and writhing in
their efforts to hang on to the smooth planks.
The man with the broken arm had the
nails of his sound hand torn, and the blood
streaming down as ne clutehed madly
again and again at the slippery seams. At
last he said,
al can not do it any longer. Tell Mary
the money is under the bed at the right.
hand side next the wall, and ask my grand
father to take little Adam for me and keep
him."
One wild thought came into Hobs Tom
mys mind. He cried out with his ire.
mendous voice,
"Don't let yourself go down. Edge your
self round here TO the stern, and you shall
have this rope"
The manned man came slowly round and
took the rope as Tommy let 60. For Sin.
gle minute the bruised giant rested his
hand on the lunging stern of the little ves-
sci. He did not look up, and his face had
no devotional aspect, but the two men who
were saved remembered his words to the
end of their lives. he said,
30 Lord Jesus, am even with you now,
if am not so good you. 1 am going to
die. Oh; take me, Lord, and have mercy
upon me"
The stern of the boat flew up into the all
as short sea hit her, and Hobs Tommy
lost his grip. He lay back quietly on the
water, and the men said that he even
smiled. Presently the foam covered him
over and he went to sleep.-Sunday Maya.
| zine.