“The captain then made signs to the men to pull the line in toward the shore.  He was obliged to use signs, because the roaring and thundering of the seas made such a noise that nothing could be heard.  The sailors had before this, under the captain’s direction, fastened a much stronger line—­a small cable, in fact—­to the end of the line which had been attached to the barrel.  Thus, by pulling upon the smaller line, the men drew one end of the cable to the shore.  The other end remained on board the ship, while the middle of it lay tossing among the breakers between the ship and the shore.

“The seamen then carried that part of the cable which was on shipboard up to the masthead, while the men on shore made their end fast to a very strong post which they set in the ground.  The seamen drew the cable as tight as they could, and fastened their end very strongly to the masthead.  Thus the line of the cable passed in a gentle slope from the top of the mast to the land, high above all the surges and spray.  The captain then rigged what he called a sling, which was a sort of loop of ropes that a person could be put into and made to slide down in it on the cable to the shore.  A great many of the passengers were afraid to go in this way, but they were still more afraid to remain on board the ship.”

“What were they afraid of?” asked Phonny.

“They were afraid,” replied Beechnut, “that the shocks of the seas would soon break the ship to pieces, and then they would all be thrown into the sea together.  In this case they would certainly be destroyed, for if they were not drowned, they would be dashed to pieces on the rocks which lined the shore.

“Sliding down the line seemed thus a very dangerous attempt, but they consented one after another to make the trial, and thus we all escaped safe to land.”

“And did you get the clock-weights safe to the shore?” asked Phonny.

“Yes,” replied Beechnut, “and as soon as we landed we hid them in the sand.  My father took me to a little cove close by, where there was not much surf, as the place was protected by a rocky point of land which bounded it on one side.  Behind this point of land the waves rolled up quietly upon a sandy beach.  My father went down upon the slope of this beach, to a place a little below where the highest waves came, and began to dig a hole in the sand.  He called me to come and help him.  The waves impeded our work a little, but we persevered until we had dug a hole about a foot deep.  We put our clock-weights into this hole and covered them over.  We then ran back up upon the beach.  The waves that came up every moment over the place soon smoothed the surface of the sand again, and made it look as if nothing had been done there.  My father measured the distance from the place where he had deposited his treasure up to a certain great white rock upon the shore exactly opposite to it, so as to be able to find the place again, and then we went back to our company.  They were collected on the rocks in little groups, wet and tired, and in great confusion, but rejoiced at having escaped with their lives.  Some of the last of the sailors were then coming over in the sling.  The captain himself came last of all.