Harriet stood
braced against the wheel, shouting out her commands, screaming at the
top of her voice to make herself heard and understood above the gale.
The guardian staggered over to her.
"Oh, what has happened?" she cried.
"The mast has gone overboard--part of it at least, and--"
"Captain Billy's gone, too! The boom struck and carried him over!"
yelled Jane when she had crept near enough to be heard.
"Cut away, I tell you. Here is a hatchet." Harriet had groped in the
locker, from which she drew a keen-edged hatchet and handed it to
Crazy Jane McCarthy. "You'll have to be quick. We're being swamped.
See, we are taking water over the side. Oh, _do_ hurry, Jane!"
"The captain gone!" moaned Miss Elting. "Can nothing be done?"
"No." Harriet's voice was firm. "Unless we work fast we shall all go
to the bottom. We must save those on the boat, Miss Elting. But you
listen for his voice. Oh, this is terrible!"
The steady whack--whack of the hatchet in the hands of Jane McCarthy
came faintly to their ears. Once Jane slipped over the side into the
water; but, grasping the life-line to which she was tied, the girl
pulled herself back on the deck and set pluckily to work again. It was
the wonder of Harriet Burrell that the "Sue" kept afloat at all, for
she was more under water than above it, and the seas were breaking
over her.
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