THE YOUTH’S CABINET.

by @ tremendous current, which runs
with considerable violence even in tem-
perate weather, with a rapidity of about
six miles an hour, but which, when the
* weather is tempestuous, flows with a
force truly terrific,

The fore part of the vessel, in the
meantime, remained fast on the rock,
and to it still clung the few passengers
who remained, every instant expecting to
share the fate of thei unfortunate com-
panions, whom they had seen swept
away by the raging’ element. In this
dreadful situation, their cries attracted
the notice of Grace Darling, the daugh-
ter of the keeper of the Outer Ferne
Lighthouse. With a noble heroism, she

immediately determined to attempt their
rescue, in spite of the raging of the

storm, and the all but certain destruc-
tion which threatened to attend it.
Having hastily awakened her father,
he launched his boat at daybreak, and
with a generous sympathy worthy of the
father of Grace Darling, prepared to
proceed to their rescue. The gale, in
‘the meantime, continued unabated, and
the boiling of the waves threatened a
“Speedy destruction to their frail boat.
It was therefore with a heart full of the
most fearful forebodings, that he under-
took the perilous enterprise, After
watching the wreck for some time, they
discovered that living beings were still
clinging to it, and the gallant young
woman seized an oar, and entered the
boat. This was enough. Her father fol-
lowed, and with the assistance of his
daughter, conducted the frail skiff over
the foaming billows, to the spot where
the wreck appeared, By a dangerous
and desperate effort, he was landed on the
rock ; and to preserve the frail boat

147

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from being dashed to pieces, it was
rapidly rowed back among the awful
abyss of waters, and kept afloat by the

skilfulness and dexterity of this noble-
minded young woman. At length, the
whole of the survivors, consisting of five
of the crew and four of the passengers,
were taken from the wreck, and convey-
ed to the light-house, where Grace Dar-
ling ministered to their wants, and anx-
lously, for three days and three nights,
waited on the sufferers, and soothed their
afflictions. This perilous achievement,
unexampled in the feats of female fortj-
tude, was witnessed by the survivors in
silent wonder, The weather continued
so tempestuous, that the main land could
not be reached til] Sunday, when the
nine persons, saved by the gallant hero-
ism of the Darlings, were landed in safe-
ty; thus making the entire number of
persons saved from the wreck eighteen,
All the others perished.

Those who found refuge on the rock
on which the vesse] ‘struck, suffered
severely, during the night, from the cold
and the heavy seas, which at intervals
washed over them. The female passen-
ger who escaped, sat with her two chil-
dren, a boy and a girl, the one eight and
the other eleven years of age, firmly
grasped in each hand, long after the buf-
fetings of the waves had deprived them
of existence. The captain and his wife
were washed from the wreck, clasped
in each other’s arms, and both drowned.

Here was an act of heroism, to which
you will find few parallels; nor has it
been without its reward. Besides the
satisfaction of saving nine fellow-crea-
tures from certain destruction, the fame
of the heroic act has spread far and
wide, and its praise been on every