ricken, who could not swim, catching hold of
those that could. I thought, on seeing this, that it would be wiser to
keep clear of them, till I could reach a boat coming towards the wreck
at no great distance off. I was pretty nigh exhausted when I reached
the boat, in which were a waterman and two young gentlemen, who happened
to be crossing from Ryde to Portsmouth at the time. They soon hauled me
in, and I begged them to pull on and save some of the drowning people.
As neither of them could row, quickly recovering I took one of the oars,
and was about to sit down to help the waterman, when I saw, not far off,
several sheep, pigs, and fowls swimming in all directions, while
hencoops and all sorts of articles were floating about.

"Let us save the poor beasts," cried one of the young gentlemen
thoughtlessly, just as young people are apt to speak sometimes. We, of
course, took no heed of what he said, when our fellow-creatures had to
be saved, and were pulling on when my eye fell on one of the sheep
swimming away from us, which seemed to have someone holding on to its
back. We put the boat round and followed, when, what was my surprise to
see a child hanging on with both its hands to the sheep's back! On a
second look, it struck me that he was the very same little boy I had
seen at my cottage, and who had come on board that morning with the
young lady.

"Gently, now," I cried out, afraid that the little fellow might let go
his hold before we were up to him, but he held on bravely. In half a
minute we were alongside the sheep, and I had the child safely in my
arms. The young gentlemen hauled the poor sheep into the boat, for it
would not have done to let it drown after having saved the child. I now
saw that the little fellow was the same I had supposed, for he had his
hat fastened on under his chin, and his sailor's jacket and trousers on;
he looked more astonished than frightened, and when I asked him how he
had got into the water he could not tell me.

"Where is the young lady? is she your mother or aunt?" I asked.

He had no answer to give, but only gazed about with a startled look. He
might have been younger than I had supposed; at all events, not a word
could I get out of him to let me know who he was. One of the young
gentlemen wished to hold him in his arms, so I gave the little fellow to
him, and, taking the oar, we began to pull back towards the wreck to try
and save any who might be still swimming