elp himself, and was absolutely limp
in our grasp.

We managed to swim back in with our burden on the top of a roller, well
enough; but when we tried to secure our footing on the shore, the under-
tow took us out again, although Pat Doolan flung himself face downwards
on the sand, clutching it with one of his hands while he held the half-
drowned man with the other in the same way as I did. Once, twice, we
made the attempt; and yet, in spite of our desperate struggles, both of
us putting forth all our strength, the backwash of the waves laughed at
our resistance, floating us back again out into deep water. At our
third try, however, and it would have been the last, for we were both
exhausted by this time, the men on the beach--who had formed a line
holding on to one another, Jorrocks being foremost and Captain Billings
next, wading in up to their necks in the sea--managed to catch hold of
us, when we were dragged out by sheer force; Pat and I, with Harmer
between us, all lumped together in a confused mass, and the hands
hauling us in with a "Yo, heave ho!" as if they were pulling at the
topsail halliards or getting the main tack aboard!

My swim after Mr Macdougall was nothing to this, although I had then
battled with the sea for over an hour, while now the Irishman and I had
not been ten minutes over our fight with the remorseless waves; but it
was a terrific contest whilst it lasted, and albeit we had both come off
victorious, thanks to the timely assistance of our comrades, we were
nearly worsted, and so utterly pumped out that another five minutes of
it would have ended the matter very differently. As it was, I had to
lie on the sands, whither Jorrocks had lifted me beyond the reach of the
tide, for a considerable period before I could either move or speak,
while Pat Doolan was in an equally sorry plight.

When I at last gained my voice, I stammered out a question--

"How's Harmer?" I asked, anxiously.

But Captain Billings, who was beside me, lifting up my head tenderly
with his arm placed round me, shook his head sadly.

"Poor fellow," he said; "you did your best, but he must have been gone
before you reached him. He's quite dead--you were too late to save
him!"

I declare this news affected me more than all I had gone through; and,
whether from weakness, or from the reaction after such violent exertion
producing a feeling of hysteria, I cannot tell; all I know is, that I
turned my face away from the