The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-06-28

the general outlines of their heads /" You have
no time to lose, and you must follow implicitly
what tell you, or we shall all be lost. l will
pull this oar from its sticking place, and while
you put your two hands upon it-and nothing
more, remember-this lady must place her two
hands upon my left shoulder. Now, before we
start off into deep water, is there any amount
of your clothes that you can get rid of? The
least thing adds to your weight. Mems clothes
are heavy ladies' are light, aud do not so much
signify"
"How can get rid of my clothes-they are
all so wet, and cinging to me?"
your coat. Can you hold on by the rock with
one hand for few minutes"
~ think So"
"Very well, then, first let go your left hand
gently, and with my right will pull that sleeve
off; then let go your right hand, and we will
pull that off"
But there is my pocket-book in my coat"
"Has it much money in it ?"
ayes, two hundred pounds"
" That had better have been left on shore in
boating. Is it in notes?"
dyes"
"Well, first of al, will take out the book.
Let me feel. Oh, here it is come, it is not SO
heavy as l feared l will just stick that inside
my waistband Now, then, am ready to pull
off the left hand take that hand off the rock.
So ! now hold fast. How the coat sticks Hur-
rah that is done. Now, them hold fast with
your left hand, and let go the right. So there
he goes up stream to Totness," said Herbert,
as soon as he had drawn the coat from its late
wearer, and thrown it to sink in the bubbling
tide. "Now, what boots have you got on ?"
ooh, luckily / have got on shoes"
% Well kick them off directly. then"
~ cannot-they are tied"
"Well, put one of your feet out, so that can
get at it, and break the shoe-string. So that
is it. There, he is gone. Now, the other"
"Oh how the rocks cut my feet "
"Never mind the cuts now, up with the other
foot. / have him. There goes the second shoe.
Now, how about gold watch and chain? Have
you got one on?"
"Yes"
"Well, give it to me ; 1 will do my best to
throw it towards Dittisham shore. If it does
not reach the dry ground, we may at least
throw it so far into shallow water that it may
be picked up next tide"
"Just take it off my neck, will your"
~ will. All it's nice watch. 1t is a pity
to use it so roughly"
"Oh, here is my watch too" said the lady,
4" if you will take it over my head"
"Thank you," said Herbert; and, gathering
the two watches up together in the hollow Of
his hand, he gave them good vigorous cast to-
wards the shore, and saw them sink few yards
| from it. "Now, those will easily be recovera
BILE tomorrow morning. Have you anything
else about you-keys, or anything of that
sort?"
"Nothing," said the lady.
~ have some silver in my trousers pocket,
said the gentleman.
"Pitch it all into the river" said Herbert
"this is one of those occasions on which money
is curse to man."
"Just put your hand in my left trousers peck
ct and take it all out, then"
Herbert did so, and produced whole hand
| full of silver, which he threw after the watches
"Now then, we are as light as we can get
The water is rising very rapidly. Be ready to
start. You must neither of you attempt to
breathe through your mouths; you must breathe
through your nostrils, and nothing more. Jus'
hold your noses up as much as you can above
the water, but do not attempt to lift your hands
above it, for you will sink directly. / will take
hold of the other end ofthe oar, and swim with
you towards Dittisham; but remember ths,
both your lives depend upon not lifting single
finger above the water. If you do that, you will
sink; if you do not do that, you cannot help
floating. Do you underestimate"
"Quite," said the lady.
~ will try" said the man.
"Now, then, may God help US |" said Her.
bert, and laying one hand on the oar, while he
still chung to the rock with the other, after q
little difficulty he succeeded in extracting the
blade of the oar from the crevice of the rock in
which it had stuck, and it once more foated in
the water.
"Now, them" said Herbert, getting it round
into the proper position, "just lay your two
hands here, where the leather is"
"But if let 60 Of my sister, she will sink"
"No, please God, she shall not. Here, mad
shoulder, before he takes the oar. Now, rest on
me your full weight, and never mind swallow
ing little water, both of you"
AS Herbert said this, he slipped round to the
side of the rock where they were, and placing
himself on the lady's right hand, she took fast
hold of his dress at the point indicated and, as
she did so she felt her feet borne away by the
river.
ooh, am sinkingl Oh, am sinkingl"
ooh, no, you will not sink. Keep your head
down, and rest on me. Now, quick, my boy,
clasp hold of the oar"
~ will 1 will" gasped the unfortunate
man and the moment he did So away went all
three on the bosom of that angry tide, right into
the deep water.
II am drowning am drowning !" shrek
ed the man.
"No no, you are all right now; keep your
courage up-we will soon be on shore" And
Herbert, getting sufficiently out of his reach
not to be entangled with him, stuck the blade
of the oar between his teeth, and struck out
boldly for the little fishing village of Dittisham
Going up the river, with the stream and wind,
the progress Of the trio was very rapid; and as
Herbert struck out with the utmost possible en-
ergy towards the lights that still cleaned from
the cottagers' windows, where the beach shelly
ed down much more gently than in the adjacent
parts of the river, he succeeded in about ten
minutes in getting them into the still water,
made by the projecting race as it advanced out
to that narrow strait of the river where the
scene of this catastrophe happened.
| In few minutes, Herbert struck his foot
against the shore, and instantly rose up, the
water not coming above his waist.
"Thank Heaven, we are safe!" said he, for
the first time, placing his arm round the waist
of the gentle being, who, without murmur,
had 80 implicitly followed his instructions; but,
when he expected some reply, he found the ex-
element of the scene had ended in her faint
ing.
| knowing well, from past lectures Of his friend