Year: 1876

die in the water. Despite all exertions of
muscles and knees, you are irresistibly
borne upward, your limbs apparently
losing all power.


Ihad had good deal of experience in
swimming. and always found the best way
was to throw yourself out OF the saddle
directly the horse lost ground, taking care
to be on the lee side, and grasp the name
with one hand and the bride with the
other. By this method you can guide
your horse as you wish, and are no i'm
pediment to him, as you assist yourself
with your legs.


However, in trying to do it, my spur
most unfortunately became caught
in either the saddle.cloth or in the green
hide throng with which my quart-pot was
fastened on the saddle.


/ clutched the name firmly, in hopes
of disengaging myself, when l must have
jerked the reins somehow or other, or the
horse got frightened, for his hind-quar-
ters sank, and he began beating the water
with his fore feet, and then we both
rolled over, / still holding on to the
bride, entangled by the SPUR, and half
in and halt out of the saddle. Twice he
must have turned over, for / remember
coming up for an instant, and then
the horrible feeling of being dragged
lown again.


After the second turn l felt my leg
free, and the horse, relieved from the
leverage of my body, against which the
current had borne and caused our two
revolutions, began swimming, but snort
ing with terror, and downstream. lhad
never let go the reins, so soon had his
head round, soothing him by word, and
helping him as much as possible by strik-
ing out vigorously with my legs.


1t now became question if we had
not lost so much ground that we should
miss the landing; however, the horse
was strong and knew my voice well, for
we were old companions, and, by good
luck, we just hit the extreme end of the
shingly beach, which was called, by
courtesy, the landing place, and were
once more on terra frma, but dripping
and miserable.


Here found four Cinnamon, who had
come there to fish, and had watched
the whole affair, which they described to
me by pantomime, evidently immensely
tickled at the fun of it, but no one
thought of helping me having entered
their heads, although they had two boats
hauled up on the beach.


Such was the adventure that befell
me, and l will now explain, to the best of
my power, the thoughts that passed
through my brain during the period of
greatest peril, that is, whilst the horse
was rolling twice over with me.


When 1 had made up my mind to try
the passage, some faint idea of its being
dangerous had flashed across me, chiefly
on accent of the sharks, so far as l was
concerned; but was good swimmer,
and had often swan flooded creeks with
the same horse, in whom had every con-
fidence, and thought no more of a cat
astrophe, than the man who goes out
hunting in the morning does of the re-
mote chance of his being brought home
on hurdle at night. Any anxiety l
felt was greater by far for my horse, for
if he were lost should have been much
Inconvenience in my digging operations;
but certainly was never troubled with
any misgivings as to the result being un-
favorable, for, at the moment of the horse
losing his legs, was thinking of the two
mile ride should have in my wet clothes
from the landing to the station, and Won
dering whether Long R, the owner,
would be at home to lend me dry suit.


When attempted to disengage my
self from the saddle, and found myself
entangled by my spur, / instinctively
leant forward and clasped the name, but
the force of the current and the horses
hind quarters sinking, caused him to
commence his first revolution simulta-
neous with this, and was under him in
a second.


Ny first thought was bitter regret at
having neglected to take of my spurs
it struck me how could have put them
into my pouch, or hung them to one OF
the DIS on the saddle; then l thought
how properly I should be laughed at
about it when l got on shore; / seemed
even to see Long R., the attitude in
which he would stand, with his eye.
glass up and his back to the fire, whilst
he overwhelmed me with pitiless ridi
cule for being so attached to my spurs
that l couldn't even bathe without
them.


BY this time felt my head above wa
ter for an instant; l saw the light first
then glimpse of the mangroves ther
sunk again.


Directly knew by the light that
was coming to the surface, all thought Of
R was displaced by intense anxiety
to see how far we had been carried down
of course l was unable to do this, and az
7 x-o,,4 ,,,;4l, Tho Inroa al houa Y,na tho COO
ond time, l first began to feel frightened


pictured being rolled over in this
way until we were drowned; how the
tide would take us, if in the death-grip
still clung to the name, and hang us botf
on some mangrove stump, where the
sharks would soon drag me away into
deep water, and rend and tear my limbs
and nuzzle with their hideous snouts ir
my body, as you may see pigs in
trough.


Curiously enough, I thought, Will
they eat the spur IF so, how will they
digest it? And this seemed to amuse
me, for laughed at the idea. Then
vague speculations as to whether il
would ever be known what had happened,
or whether any fragment would be found,
for it would be three or four days, at
least, before my fellow-digger would
think of making any inquiry about my
absence. and then who would break the
tidiDg to my wife? Her misery came
before me vividly, and rehearsed again
the scene in which / had broken to hel
the death of her dearest brother, foully
murdered by the blacks; then light
stronger, stronger daylight, and fell
myself free.


1 have often wondered since at tn,
extreme rapidity with which thes'
thoughts must have chased each othe
through my brain, and also at th'
curious phases of the thoughts them
selves. The time occupied by the who'll
thing could not have been more thar
ten seconds, and yet each scene that
pictured was unhurried and complete II
all its details.


During the imaginary conversation
with R., saw the woman come u


lay the tea things, then go out, remain
| some time, and return with the tea il