It
had been broken in two by the waves, and half of it had been washed
away. The other half lay yet on the rock, and those of the crew who
were still alive were cling-ing to it. But the waves were dashing over
it, and in a little while it too would be carried to the bottom.
Could any one save the poor, half-drowned men who were there?
On one of the islands was a light-house; and there, all through that
stormy night, Grace Darling had listened to the storm.
Grace was the daughter of the light-house keeper, and she had lived by
the sea as long as she could re-mem-ber.
In the darkness of the night, above the noise of the winds and waves,
she heard screams and wild cries. When day-light came, she could see
the wreck, a mile away, with the angry waters all around it. She could
see the men clinging to the masts.
"We must try to save them!" she cried. "Let us go out in the boat at
once!"
"It is of no use, Grace," said her father. "We cannot reach them."
He was an old man, and he knew the force of the mighty waves.
"We cannot stay here and see them die," said Grace. "We must at least
try to save them."
Her father could not say, "No."
In a few minutes they were ready. They set off in the heavy lighthouse
boat.
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