ad, and after that he had to content himself with
keeping the lantern in view.

The engineer reached Section D and stopped breathless on the brink. He
had forgotten Garstin--had forgotten everything save that water was
again forcing its way into the unhappy section. But how and where?
Anxiously examining the opposite side with his lantern, he soon
discovered what the matter was, and the discovery caused him a thrill of
amazed horror. The "improbable thing" had happened. One of the piles was
buckling--bending inwards--and the earth dam was surely, if slowly,
giving way at this point. He turned to shout to Garstin.

Then something hit him on the shoulder and he fell backwards into
Section D, wildly and vainly clutching at a beam to save himself.

* * * * *

"Trevannion! Trevannion!"

The voice of Garstin, office-desk theoretician,
assistant-engineer--Trevannion was clear about that. What he did not
realise so clearly was what had happened to himself. He was lying face
downwards on something, with his arm under his breast--his left arm,
that is--his right seemed to have disappeared. Likewise, though he was
conscious of a weight hanging downwards from his middle, he wondered
vaguely what had become of his legs. He felt a curious disinclination to
stir.

Yet the voice went on calling, and presently he was impelled to answer
"Hello, Garstin." Then, while he was still listening to the unfamiliar
echo of his own voice, he heard just behind him a _splash, splash,
splash_, and his left arm jerked itself spasmodically from beneath his
breast, the hand simultaneously touching a substance that was hard,
cold, and slimy.

Then he realised.

He was somewhere near the bottom of Section D. His body lay across one
of the lowest beams; his legs dangled in the water. Garstin was
somewhere above him, and the river was pouring steadily into the
section, splashing now with monotonous regularity. And the water was
rising--creeping up towards the level of the beam where he lay.

Trevannion tried to raise himself by his right arm, but the limb gave
way with an agonising shoot of pain; it was broken. He remained still
and considered. Was the broken arm the extent of his injuries? The cold
water had numbed his legs beyond all feeling. They were so much dead
weight attached to his body. Both might be fractured for all he knew.

The main fact was that he was incapable of moving, of helping himself,
at any