arted: "Now, my dear Peter," says
she, "torment yourself no more about your goods on board; for if this
will do, all shall be your own."--She then lent me a hand to take it
in; but we had both work enough to compass it, the wood had soaked in so
much water. We then made the best of our way homewards to my wet-dock;
when, just as we had landed our treasure, we saw two more boxes coming
down the stream both together, whereupon we launched again, and brought
them in one by one; for I did not care to trust them both on one bottom,
my boat being in years, and growing somewhat crazy.

We had now made a good day's work of it; so, mooring the boat, we went
home, intending to be out next morning early with the cart, to convey
our imports to the grotto.

After supper, Youwarkee looking very earnestly at me, with tears just
glittering in her eyes, broke out in these words--"What should you
have thought, Peter, to have seen me come sailing, drowned, through the
cavern, tied to one of your chests?"--"Heaven forbid such a thought, my
charmer!" says I. "But as you know I must have been rendered the most
miserable of all living creatures by such a sight, or anything else that
would deprive me of you, pray tell me how you could possibly have such a
thought in your head?"--She saw she had raised my concern, and was very
sorry for what she had said. "Nothing, nothing," says she, "my dear!
it was only a fancy just come into my head."--"My dear Youwee," says I,
"you must let me know what you mean: I am in great pain till you explain
yourself; for I am sure there is something more in what you say
than fancy; therefore, pray, if you love me, keep me on the rack no
longer."--"Ah, Peter!" says she, "there was but a span between me and
death not many days ago; and when I saw the line of the last chest we
took up just now, it gave so much horror I could scarce keep upon my
feet."--"My dear Youwee, proceed," says I; "for I cannot bear my torment
till I have heard the worst."--"Why, Peter," says she, "now the danger
is over, I shall tell you my escape with as much pleasure as I guess
you will take in hearing of it. You must know, my life," says she, "that
having cast that chest into the sea, as I was tugging it along by
that very line, it being one of the heaviest, and moving but slowly, I
twisted the string several times round my hand, one fold upon another,
the easier to tow it; when, drawing it rather too quick into the eddy,
it pulled so hard