ing like mad below us. I was
ahead of John, picking the way; and I found, to my cost, that the way
was unsafe. In a venture offshore I risked too much. Of a sudden the
ice let me through.

"It was like a fall, feet foremost, and when I came again to the
possession of my faculties, with the passing of the shock, I found
that my arms were beating the edge of ice, which crumbled before them,
and that the current was tugging mightily at my legs.

"'Look out!' I gasped.

"The warning was neither heard nor needed. John was flat on his
stomach, worming his way towards me--wriggling slowly out, his eyes
glistening.

"Meanwhile I had rested my arms on the edge, which then crumbled no
more; but I was helpless to save myself, for the current had sucked my
legs under the ice, and now held them securely there, sweeping them
from side to side, all the while tugging as if to wrench me from my
hold. The most I could do was to resist the pull, to grit my teeth and
cling to the advantage I had. It was for John to make the rescue.

"There was an ominous crack from John's direction. When I turned my
eyes to look he was lying still. Then I saw him wriggle out of danger,
backing away like a crab.

"'John!' I screamed.

"The appeal seemed not to move him. He continued to wriggle from me.
When he came to solid ice he took to his heels. I caught sight of him
as he climbed the bank, and kept my eyes upon him until he disappeared
over the crest. He had left me without a word.

"The water was cold and swift, and the strength of my arms and back
was wearing out. The current kept tugging, and I realized, loath as I
was to admit it, that half an hour would find me slipping under the
ice. It was a grave mistake to admit it; for at once fancy began to
paint ugly pictures for me, and the probabilities, as it presented
them, soon flustered me almost beyond recovery.

"'I was chest-high out of the water,' I told myself. 'Chest-high! Now
my chin is within four inches of the ice. I've lost three inches. I'm
lost!'

"With that I tried to release my feet from the clutch of the current,
to kick myself back to an upright position, to lift myself out. It was
all worse than vain. The water was running so swiftly that it dangled
my legs as it willed, and the rotten ice momentarily threatened to let
me through.

"I lost a full inch of position. So I settled myself to wait for what
might come, determined to yield nothing through terror or despair. My