w.' 'You will never be disturbed by me any more,' she cried;
'you will never see me again.' As she spoke, she rushed to the forward
part of the vessel, and from thence she sprang into the water. Voice
upon voice called out, 'Save her, save her, she is sinking!' He was in
the most terrible difficulty. In the confusion the old shipmaster woke,
and tried to catch the rudder, which the young man bade him take. But
there was no time to change hands. The vessel stranded; and at the same
moment, flinging off the heaviest of his upper garments, he sprang into
the water and swam toward his beautiful enemy. The water is a friendly
element to a man who is at home in it, and who knows how to deal with
it; it buoyed him up, and acknowledged the strong swimmer as its master.
He soon overtook the beautiful girl, who had been swept away before him;
he caught hold of her, raised her and supported her, and both of them
were carried violently down by the current, till the shoals and islands
were left far behind, and the river was again open and running smoothly.
He now began to collect himself; they had passed the first immediate
danger, in which he had been obliged to act mechanically without time to
think; he raised his head as high as he could to look about him and then
swam with all his might to a low bushy point which ran out conveniently
into the stream. There he brought his fair burden to dry land, but he
could find no signs of life in her; he was in despair, when he caught
sight of a trodden path leading among the bushes. Again he caught her up
in his arms, hurried forward, and presently reached a solitary cottage.
There he found kind, good people--a young married couple; the
misfortunes and the dangers explained themselves instantly; every remedy
he could think of was instantly applied; a bright fire blazed up; woolen
blankets were spread on a bed, counterpane, cloaks, skins, whatever
there was at hand which would serve for warmth, were heaped over her as
fast as possible. The desire to save life overpowered, for the present,
every other consideration. Nothing was left undone to bring back to life
the beautiful, half-torpid, naked body. It succeeded; she opened her
eyes! her friend was before her; she threw her heavenly arms about his
neck. In this position she remained for a time; and then a stream of
tears burst out and completed her recovery. 'Will you forsake me,' she
cried, 'now when I find you again thus?' 'Never,' he answered