her eyes glazed,
and her muscles hard and stiff; evidently she was insensible to all that
was going forward; while large drops of paralytic agony hung upon her
cold brow. Neither of the sisters had yet recovered, nor could those
who supported them turn their eyes from the more imminent danger, to pay
them any particular attention. Many, also, of the other females, whose
feelings were too much wound up when the accident occurred, now fainted,
when they saw she was likely to be rescued; but most of them were
weeping with delight and gratitude.

"When John brought her to the surface, he paused for a moment to recover
breath and collectedness; he then caught her by the left arm, near
the shoulder, and cut, in a slanting direction, down the stream, to a
watering place, where a slope had been formed in the bank. But he was
already too far down to be able to work across the stream to this point;
for it was here much stronger and more rapid than under the planks.
Instead, therefore, of reaching the slope, he found himself in spite
of every effort to the contrary, about a perch below it; and, except he
could gain this point, against the strong rush of the flood, there was
very little hope of being able to save either her or himself--for he was
now much exhausted.

"Hitherto, therefore, all was still doubtful, whilst strength was fast
failing him. In this trying and almost hopeless situation, with an
admirable presence of mind, he adopted the only expedient which could
possibly enable him to reach the bank. On finding himself receding down,
instead of advancing up the current, he approached the bank, which was
here very deep and perpendicular; he then sank his fingers into and
pressed his right foot against the firm blue clay with which it was
stratified, and by this means advanced, bit by bit, up the stream,
having no other force by which to propel himself against it. After this
mode did he breast the current with all his strength--which must have
been prodigious, or he never could have borne it out--until he reached
the slope, and got from the influence of the tide, into dead water. On
arriving here, his hand was caught by one of the young men present, who
stood up to the neck, waiting his approach. A second man stood behind
him, holding his other hand, a link being thus formed, that reached out
to the firm bank; and a good pull now brought them both to the edge
of the river. On finding bottom, John took his Colleen Galh in h