ars--
half-stifling me, half-drowning me! O merciful Father!

The water had reached its height, and I was almost overwhelmed by it;
but with desperate tenacity of life I held out, closely clinging to the
signal-shaft. For a very long time I held on, and, had no change
occurred, I might have been able to keep my place till the morning; but
a change was near, and one that placed me in greater peril than ever.

Night came on; and, as if this had been a signal for my destruction, the
wind increased almost to a gale. The clouds had been scowling
throughout the twilight, as if threatening rain, which now fell in
torrents--the wind, as it were, bringing the rain along with it. I
perceived that the waves were every moment rising higher, and one or two
large ones now swept almost over me. So great was their strength that I
was scarcely able to resist it, and came very near being swept away.

I was now full of fear. I saw that should the breakers grow larger, I
could not hold out against them, but must succumb. Even as they were,
it was doubtful whether my strength would hold out.

The last great wave that struck me had somewhat altered my foothold upon
the stones, and it was necessary for me to recover it, or fix myself
still better. For this purpose I raised my body a little by my arms,
and was feeling about with my foot for the most elevated point of my
battery, when another huge wave came rushing along, and whipping both my
feet off the stones, carried them out from the shaft. I held on with
both arms, and for some moments hung almost horizontally upon the water,
until the wave had passed. Then permitting my feet to drop down, I felt
once more for the support of the cairn. I touched the stones, but only
touched them. As soon as a pound of my weight rested upon them, I felt
the cairn crumbling beneath my feet, as if it had melted suddenly away;
and, no longer able to sustain myself, I glided down the staff, and sank
after the scattered pile to the bottom of the sea!

CHAPTER TWELVE.

HUGGING THE STAFF.

Fortunately for me I had learnt to swim, and I was a tolerably good hand
at it. It was the most useful accomplishment I could have possessed at
that moment; and but for it I should have been drowned on the instant.
Diving, too, I could do a little at, else the ducking I then received
would have discomfited me a good deal; for I went quite to the bottom
among the ugly black stones.

I stayed there not a