56 THE BOY CRUSADERS.

The sea, recently calm, seemed to boil from its very .
depths ; and the ship, incessantly tossed to and fro by
the roaring billows, appeared, every moment, on the
point of being engulphed. The skipper was lost in
consternation; the Crusaders gave way to despair;
and with death staring them in the-face they ceased
to hope for safety, and, kneeling, confessed to each
other, and prayed aloud that their sins might be
forgiven. At length, in spite of the efforts made by
the mariners to resist the winds and waves, the ship,
driven on the rocks near the island, filled with water,
went to pieces, leaving those on board to struggle as
they best might to escape a watery grave. The
struggle was vain. Many, indeed, caught hold of the
vessel’s timbers with a vague hope of reaching the
shore; but, unable to contend with the elements,
they, one after another, disappeared and sank to
rise no more.

Now this terrible shipwreck was not without
witnesses. On that part of the coast of Cyprus
where it occurred was a rude hamlet chiefly tenanted
by fishermen ; and men, women, and children crowded
the beach, uttering loud cries, and highly excited,
but unable to render any assistance. It seemed that
no boat could live in such a sea; and the fishermen
could only gaze mournfully on the heartrending
scene, as the waves sprang up and rapaciously
claimed their prey. :

It was while the sea, agitated by the gale, was
still running high; while the waves were leaping,
and tearing, and dashing against the rocks; and-
while flocks of sea birds wheeled and screamed over