allen from its coils, her feet bare, her body wrapped
apparently only in some light silken dressing to be thrown above her
nightwear. She, too, looked out into the darkness, but shrank back.

"Here, you," called out Mandy McGovern, "git hold of the end of this
rope."

She tossed to me the end of the gang-plank rope, by which the sliding
stage was drawn out and in at the boat landings. I caught this and
passed it over a projection on the snag.

"Now, haul it out," commanded she; and as we pulled, she pushed, so that
presently indeed we found that the end reached the edge of the limb on
which we sat. Without any concern, Mrs. McGovern stepped out on the
swaying bridge, sunbonnet hanging down her back, her long rifle under
one arm, while by the other hand she dragged her tall son, Andrew
Jackson, who was blubbering in terror.

This bridge, however, proved insecure, for as Mandy gave Andrew Jackson
a final yank at its farther end, the latter stumbled, and in his
struggles to lay hold upon the snag, pushed the end of the planks off
their support. His mother's sinewy arm thrust him into safety, and she
herself clambered up, very wet and very voluble in her imprecations on
his clumsiness.

"Thar, now, look what ye did, ye low-down coward," she said. "Like to
'a' drownded both of us, and left the gal back there on the boat!"

The gang plank, confined by the rope, swung in the current alongside the
snag, but it seemed useless to undertake to restore it to its position.
The girl cowered against the side of the deck opening, undecided.
"Wait," I called out to her; and slipping down into the water again, I
waded as close as I could to the door, the water then catching me close
to the shoulders.

"Jump!" I said to her, holding out my arms.

"I can't--I'm afraid," she said, in a voice hardly above a whisper.

"Do as I tell you!" I roared, in no gentle tones, I fear. "Jump at
once!" She stooped, and sprang, and as I caught her weight with my arms
under hers, she was for the moment almost immersed; but I staggered
backwards and managed to hold my footing till Auberry's arms reached us
from the snag, up which we clambered, the girl dripping wet and catching
her breath in terror.

"That's right," said Mandy McGovern, calmly, "now here we be, all of us.
Now, you men, git hold of this here rope an' haul up them boards, an'
make a seat for us."

Auberry and I found it difficult to execute this order, for the current
of old Mis