Lost And Saved; Or, Nellie Powers, The Missionary's Daughter.

LOST AND SAVED ; OR , NELLIE POWERS , THE MISSIONARY'S DAUGHTER .

BY C . H . LOO MIS . CHAP . IX .. —Continued . " ]\/| B . EVAN'S , " said the captain , just after a huge sea swept the vessel , carrying -LuL everything that lay loose about the decks through the side into the ocean ;

"that was a pretty narrow escape ; one more such may be the means of winding up our earthly career . You had better get for ' ard , and order the men aft to stand by the spankard halyards . We shall have to scud her under bare poles . " This order , Avhich the mate went forward to give , was not to be so easily executed , and for this reason the captain had held on , hoping there Avould be a few minutes lull that he could take advantage of , but as the gale continued to increase in fury he

reluctantly gaA'e the order to take in every stitch of sail . The repeated flashes of lightning reA'ealed the men cautiously making their way aft . The decks seemed one living mass of liquid fire , as the lightning played around the bolts and chains , and ran out through the scuppers Avith the Avater . Everything being done that eoidd be done , the captain went below to see how the passengers Avere getting along .

Captain , are AA'e likely to eA'er come out of this storm ? were the Avords Nellie , greeted him Avith , as he entered the cabin , " Why , it ' s perfectly frightful ; I have been throAvn backwards and fonvards across this cabin until I am completely worn out , besides being frightened more than half out of my senses . " Her face told her fears more plainly than her words did . Although she tried to appear calm , yet the sound of the seas breaking on the deck , and the violence of each successive shock as the A'essel plunged beneath the mountains of water that surrounded it , told her that some aAvful

conflict Avas going on outside the little cabin , and tended to fill her heart Avith dread . " It is a fearful gale , " replied the captain ; " one of the worst I haA'e ever seen , but I think Ave will come out of it all . right ; Ave ' ve got an excellent little sea craft under us , and if anything made by hands will hold together she will . " The captain tried to smile , as he spoke in pride of his noble brig , but Nellie noticed that it was a faint smile , and not from his heart . And as he lifted his dripping sou ' -wester from his head she coidd see anxiety pictured on his countenance . " HOAV do you stand it , Mr . Prescott ? " inquired the captain .

" I don't stand it at all , Captain . I ' m like the Irishman in the railroad car , * vho Avas jolted so much that he could neither stand up nor sit down . I have been going through manoeuvres for the last two hours that would arouse a feeling of jealousy in the bosom of a circus performer ; but all this I could endure if you Avould only open that hatchway and let a little fresh air down here ; I am almost suffocated . " When the storm broke on them , the AvindoAA's had been closed , making the cabin

air-ti ght , and the motion of the A'essel caused the foul gases to steam up from the hold . " It wouldn't do to open the companion way , Mr . Prescott , for the first sea Ave took aboard would fill the cabin , so you will have to stand it a little longer , until" The captain was interrupted by a violent plunge of the A'essel , and the loud crash of the _ foretopmast , as it fell across the rail into the sea . He hurried on deck again , fastening the passengers into the cabin .

Nellie tried to be as self-possessed as possible under the circumstances , and did not alloiv a ^ word of reproach to escape her lips . Having early in life learned to p lace herself in the Lord ' s care , she had HOAV in this trying time put her trust in Him ; she remembered IIOAV , in Bible times , AA'hen the sea Avas wroth and the tempest roared ,