At last I was able to reach and
draw him up; and when I saw him extended, nearly lifeless, at the bottom
of the pinnace, I fell down senseless beside him. How precious to us now
was the composed mind of Ernest! In the midst of such a scene, he was
calm and collected; promptly disengaging the rope from the body of Jack,
he flung it back to Fritz, to help him in reaching the pinnace,
attaching the other end firmly to the mast. This done, quicker than I
can write it, he approached us, raised his brother so that he might
relieve himself from the quantity of water he had swallowed; then
turning to me, restored me to my senses by administering to me some
drops of rum, and by saying, "Courage, father! you have saved Jack, and
I will save Fritz. He has hold of the rope; he is swimming strongly; he
is coming; he is here!"
He left me to assist his brother, who was soon in the vessel, and in my
arms. Jack, perfectly recovered, joined him; and fervently did I thank
God for granting me, in the midst of my trials, such a moment of
happiness. We could not help fancying this happy preservation was an
augury of our success in our anxious search, and that we should bring
back the lost ones to our island.
"Oh, how terrified mamma would have been," said Jack, "to see me sink! I
thought I was going, like a stone, to the bottom of the sea; but I
pushed out my arms and legs with all my strength, and up I rose.
Pages:
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370