To see the transcribed text with images (if possible) use the FB2 version. Here we have three short stories, of which the first, which gave its name to the book, is by far the longest. It concerns the coxswain of the lifeboat in a seaside small town. There is a situation in which the number of souls to be saved is more than double the capacity of the lifeboat. After the wedding they decide to emigrate to Australia, and take ship. Unfortunately there is a wreck, in which the young couple survive, and the story describes how they made themselves more comfortable, until the day when they are rescued by a homeward bound vessel, so they end up in Old England, after all. It is quite a good read. The other stories are much shorter, and are rather trivial. First published 1891.