Horror-stricken by this terrible scene , the other men were submissive henceforth , and the boat floated on and on with its sad freight of suffering souls and bodies . Another trial came to them that left all more despairing than before . A sail appeared , and for a time a frenzy of joy prevailed , to be turned to bitterest disappointment when it passed by , too far away to see the signals waved to them or hear the frantic cries for help that rang across the sea . Emil 's heart sank then , for the captain seemed dying , and the women could not hold out much longer . He kept up till night came ; then in the darkness , broken only by the feeble murmuring of the sick man , the whispered prayers of the poor wife , the ceaseless swash of waves , Emil hid his face , and had an hour of silent agony that aged him more than years of happy life could have done . It was not the physical hardship that daunted him , though want and weakness tortured him ; it was his dreadful powerlessness to conquer the cruel fate that seemed hanging over them . The men he cared little for , since these perils were but a part of the life they chose ; but the master he loved , the good woman who had been so kind to him , the sweet girl whose winsome presence had made the long voyage so pleasant for them all -- if he could only save these dear and innocent creatures from a cruel death , he felt that he could willingly give his life for them . As he sat there with his head in his hands , bowed down by the first great trial of his young life , the starless sky overhead , the restless sea beneath , and all around him suffering , for which he had no help , a soft sound broke the silence , and he listened like one in a dream . It was Mary singing to her mother , who lay sobbing in her arms , spent with this long anguish . A very faint and broken voice it was , for the poor girl 's lips were parched with thirst ; but the loving heart turned instinctively to the great Helper in this hour of despair , and He heard her feeble cry . It was a sweet old hymn often sung at Plumfield ; and as he listened , all the happy past came back so clearly that Emil forgot the bitter present , and was at home again . His talk on the housetop with Aunt Jo seemed but yesterday , and , with a pang of self-reproach , he thought : ` The scarlet strand ! I must remember it , and do my duty to the end . Steer straight , old boy ; and if you ca n't come into port , go down with all sail set . ' Then , as the soft voice crooned on to lull the weary woman to a fitful sleep , Emil for a little while forgot his burden in a dream of Plumfield . He saw them all , heard the familiar voices , felt the grip of welcoming hands , and seemed to say to himself : ` Well , they shall not be ashamed of me if I never see them any more . ' A sudden shout startled him from that brief rest , and a drop on his forehead told him that the blessed rain had come at last , bringing salvation with it ; for thirst is harder to bear than hunger , heat , or cold . Welcomed by cries of joy , all lifted up their parched lips , held out their hands , and spread their garments to catch the great drops that soon came pouring down to cool the sick man 's fever , quench the agony of thirst , and bring refreshment to every weary body in the boat . All night it fell , all night the castaways revelled in the saving shower , and took heart again , like dying plants revived by heaven 's dew . The clouds broke away at dawn , and Emil sprung up , wonderfully braced and cheered by those hours of silent gratitude for this answer to their cry for help .
But this was not all ; as his eye swept the horizon , clear against the rosy sky shone the white sails of a ship , so near that they could XXXXX the pennon at her mast-head and black figures moving on the deck .
cheered come cries remember see seemed took turned waved whispered