Year: 1870

People talk good deal about our


national deyeneracy. now days: it


doesn't look much like national degen-


eracy., l imagine, when, out of ten men


some Of whom. as not being able to


swim at all, must be left out of the ac


count-two could he found to go in for


such very forlorn-hope as this. Well,


Jones and knapton stripped them.


selves 70 the skin-the less luggage


You take on a journey Of this kind, the


bctter-and dashed into the water


and you may fancy with what anxious


hearts we on the boat watched, as long


as the falling light would let Us, their


heads rising and falling with the waves,


and the splashing made by their feet.


Kick well, Jones shouted to KNAPP


ton, for hc knew what towards sharks


are, and what little thing will some


times frighten them-'kic,l well make


as much splash rs possible it's your


only chance, if they get sight of you.


And there we sat in silence-even


the doctor was dumb for the time-
staring after the two heroes, for heroes
they were, If there are such things at
all first their heads were lost in the
darkness then the white foam made
by their feet: and knowing. ~ we did.
the dangers that surrounded them.
when we lost sight of that. the hope
that they could ever reach the shore
seemed to mix with the darkness, and
to bc lost as we'll. IL is terribly
painful thing TO have to remain inactive
while Others are incurring great danger.
10 feel that YOU cannot raise n finger TO
help them. however desperate their po-
sitlon. don't know that | ever pass.
ell a more wretchcd time than | dill
after Jones and knapton had got be-
yond our sight. As sat shiverinr on
that dismal boat. thinking of those two
fellows swimming along in the midst
OF pcrils which they had no power To
AVOID, there came into my mind scene
from AN old book which had not read
since | was child. in which man hal
To pass in the dead of night through
valley set everywhere with snares and
pitfalls, which in the darkness. he could
not see, but still was forced to 20
walking blindly on. conscious that ut
any moment he might step into abso-
Lutte destruction.


But Jones and the midshipman were
swimming steadily all the while. for
some time almost side by side; their
faces set for the shore, and their
thoughts dwellin. a little as possible
upon what might at any moment hap
pen down below. Some nen-I among
them-have "A horror Of touching any.
thing under water; and | am certain
tbat if had been either Of those frl-
Rows, the very knowledge that every
KICK gave might send my foot against
shark. who would snip OFT my Leg in
a t"lnkling. would have acted like the
touch OF the electrical eel upon me.
and deprived my muscles Of all power
OF motion. 1t I'D not Opcrat,, 50 with
them, however. The apprehension OF
danger only made them more active in
trying 10 escape from it, and for about
thrcc-quarters Of mic--we could not
see them, of course, but, a you may
imagine, we had every single incident
related 10 US aitcrwards--they pro-
cccde'l swiftly and evenly. But after
they had accomplished that distance,
knapton began 10 drop gradually be-
hind. lie had either overratci his
powers, or exhausted himself with
kicking too vigorously; at anyrate,
from whatever cause, when they had
gone about mile, Me cried out to
Jones: 4 can 90 no further must
shut up. You 90 on. Never mind me
go on Jones however. was the last
man il. the world to desert friend in
difficulties he turned. and swan back
TO him at once.


Are YOU done up, old fellow" Jones
said to him.


Yes, says the midshipman Il cant
20 on any further. But you go on
you'd better leave me-


Not L. saws Jones we set out to.
gether, and we'll finish together. or not
at all. Now, look here Don't you
grasp at me, and cling to NE you're
too good swimmer not to know that
that's raving madness. Rest your
hands upon my hips /; let your body
float quietly out; and I'll see what |
can do


'knapton did exactly as he was bid
den Jones stretched himself out before
him; and with more than ever resting
upon him now, in every sense of the
term, struck out again for the land as
resolutely as before Who was that
rusty old hero? Eneas, wasn't it?
pious Eneas?-that they make so
much fuss about, because he carried
his father on his shoulders out of burn
ing Troy, all the while in mortal dread
that Greeks would pop out upon him at
every corner? Well, he was not Il bit
more Of hero than Peyton Jones. In
fact, give me Jones for choice; for,
reckoning the elements as about equal.
ly nasty, who would not sooner have to
deal with Greek than shark! In
the first case, you might drop the Gov
ernor, and go in at the Greek, without
fearing to find the old gentleman a
cinder when you turned round to pick
him up again. But with Jones it was
quite different. If he left Knapton,
the poor fellow must have drowned;
and as far as the sharks were concerned
he had nothing for it but to swim on,
and If the enemy chose to bite his legs
of, why, they must. Besides, there is
another thing to be said for Joness
case-it is perfectly true; whereas, as
regards the feat of Father Eneas, it is
TO put it in the mildest way-Open
to question


This is. however, rather q trifling