a yard or two from
the house. Angus, who was a fair swimmer and an angry man, threw
off his coat, and plunged after it, greatly to the delight of the
little one, caught the pup with his teeth by the back of the neck,
and turned to make for the house. Just then a shrub, swept from the
hill, caught him in the face, and so bewildered him, that, before he
got rid of it, he had blundered into the edge of the current, which
seized and bore him rapidly away. He dropped the pup, and struck
out for home with all his strength. But he soon found the most he
could do was to keep his head above water, and gave himself up for
lost. His wife screamed in agony. Gibbie heard her as he came down
the hill, and ran at full speed towards the cottage.

About a hundred yards from the house, the current bore Angus
straight into a large elder tree. He got into the middle of it, and
there remained trembling, the weak branches breaking with every
motion he made, while the stream worked at the roots, and the wind
laid hold of him with fierce leverage. In terror, seeming still to
sink as he sat, he watched the trees dart by like battering-rams in
the swiftest of the current: the least of them diverging would tear
the elder tree with it. Brave enough in dealing with poachers,
Angus was not the man to gaze with composure in the face of a sure
slow death, against which no assault could be made. Many a man is
courageous because he has not conscience enough to make a coward of
him, but Angus had not quite reached that condition, and from the
branches of the elder tree showed a pale, terror-stricken visage.
Amidst the many objects on the face of the water, Gibbie, however,
did not distinguish it, and plunging in swam round to the front of
the cottage to learn what was the matter. There the wife's
gesticulations directed his eyes to her drowning husband.

But what was he to do? He could swim to the tree well enough, and,
he thought, back again, but how was that to be made of service to
Angus? He could not save him by main force--there was not enough of
that between them. If he had a line, and there must be plenty of
lines in the cottage, he would carry him the end of it to haul
upon--that would do. If he could send it to him that would be
better still, for then he could help at the other end, and would be
in the right position, up stream, to help farther, if necessary, for
down the current alone was the path of communication open. He