May I hear Thee say to me,
‘Fear not, I will pilot thee’!”
Faintly at first, but mounting higher and clearer, rose the sweet girlish voice, and not only the poor street gamin, but Brandon himself listened entranced.
When the beautiful hymn was finished, Brandon felt that it was a prayer not only for him whose spirit might at any moment depart, but for Milly and himself, who should remain behind at the mercy of the storm tossed sea.
CHAPTER XXXV
SHOWING HOW CALEB APPEARED ON THE SCENE JUST TOO LATE
The anxiety of Caleb Wetherbee for Brandon’s safety was really pitiful to behold. When the cable parted which attached the wrecked brig to the steamer, the captain at once realized that his ward and his two companions were in a very serious predicament.
There was absolutely nothing that those aboard the whaleback could do in that howling gale to assist in the rescue of the castaways.
Occasionally Caleb had a rocket fired to show the unfortunate trio that he was remaining near them; but, as we know, that was very sorry comfort to Brandon and his two companions. It simply served to convince them how rapidly Number Three was leaving them astern.
On one point Caleb’s calculations were very much amiss. He was running the whaleback as slowly as practicable, keeping just enough headway on to keep her from broaching to; but he failed to realize that even at that speed he was sailing two miles or more to the brig’s one.
Of course, when once the night had shut down it was impossible for anybody aboard the steamer to see the outlines of the wreck, and therefore this fact escaped their attention. The water logged Success moved at a snail’s pace, and all night long the steamer drew away from her, so that, after the storm had cleared away and the sun rose, not a sign of the brig appeared.