Page:Selection of amusing and entertaining Irish stories.pdf/3

 IRISH STORIES.

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PROVIDENCE; OR, THE SHIPWRECK.

It was a dreadful storm. The wind, blowing full on the sea-shore, rolled tremendous waves on the beach; while the half-sunk rocks, at the entrance of the bay, were enveloped in a mist of white foam. A ship appeared in the offing, driving impetuously under her bare poles to land; now tilting aloft on the surging waves, now plunging into the intervening hollows. Presently she rushed among the rocks, and there struck; the billows beating over her deck, and climbing up her shattered rigging. “Mercy, mercy!” exclaimed an ancient solitary, as he viewed from a cliff the dismal scene. It was in vain. The ship fell on her side, and was seen no more.

Soon, however, a small dark object appeared coming from the rocks towards the shore; at first dimly descried through the foam, then quite plain as it rode on the summit of a wave, then for a time totally lost. It approached, and showed itself to be a boat with men in it rowing for their lives. The solitary hastened down to the beach, and, in all the agonizing vicissitudes of hope and fear, watched its advance. At length, after the most imminent hazards, the boat was thrown violently on t the shore, and the dripping half-dead mariners crawled out to the dry land.

“Heaven be praised!” cried the solitary; “what a providential escape ! ” And he led the poor men to his cell, where, kindling a good fire, and bringing out his little store of provision, he restored them to health and spirits. “ And are you six men the only ones saved?” said he. “That we are,” answered one of them. “Threescore and fifteen men, women, and children, were in the ship when she struck. You may think what a clamour and confusion there was : women clinging to their husbands’ necks, and children hanging about their clothes, all shrieking, crying, and praying. There was no time to be lost. We got out the small boat in a twinkling;