it seemed a week to me, Jack did the same.

"There we was--the girl and I--alone.

"I think now, sir, looking back upon it, as I was mad then. I felt
somehow as that the gal had drowned my two boys; and the devil kept
whispering to me to beat her white face in, and then to go with her to
the bottom. I should ha' done it too, but my promise kept me back. I
had sworn she should get safe to shore if I could, and it seemed to me
that included the promise that I would do my best for us both to get
there. I was getting weak now, and sometimes I seemed to wander, and
my thoughts got mixed up, and I talked to the boys as if they could
hear me. Once or twice my hold had slipped, and I had hard work enough
to get hold again. I was sensible enough to know as it couldn't last
much longer, and, talking as in my sleep, I had told the boys I would
be with 'em in a minute or two, when a sound of shouting quite close
roused me up sudden.

"Then I saw we had drifted close to the brig. Some men had climbed
along, taking hold hand-in-hand when they passed across places where
the sea was already breaking over, and bringing with them the rope
which, as I afterwards heard, the man on horseback had brought back
from Filey. It was a brave deed on their part, sir, for the tide was
rising fast. When they saw I lifted my head and could hear them they
shouted that they would throw me the rope, and that I must leave go of
the boat, which would have smashed us to pieces, as I knew, if she had
struck the rocks with us. Where they were standing the rock was full
six feet above the sea; but a little farther it shelved down, and each
wave ran three feet deep across the brig. They asked me could I swim;
and when I shook my head, for I was too far gone to speak now, one of
'em jumped in with the end of the rope. He twisted it round the two of
us, and shouted to his friends to pull. It was time, for we weren't
much above a boat's length from the brig. Three of the chaps as had
the rope run down to the low part of the rock and pulled together,
while another two kept hold of the end of the rope and kept on the
rock, so as to prevent us all being washed across the brig together. I
don't remember much more about it. I let go the boat, sank down at
once, as if the girl and I had been lead, felt a tug of the rope, and
then, just as the water seemed choking me, a great smash, and I
remember nothing else. When I came to my right senses again I was in a
bed at F