seem to be conscious of a huge roller that
was swiftly approaching him. In my excitement I was just on the point of
shouting to warn those in the boat of their danger, although I knew that
they could not understand what I might say, when I saw Jackson standing
on the edge of the cliff, a little way off, dressed in his shirt and
trousers only. He had escaped from the house! He perceived that I saw
him, and came running up on me, and I threw myself on my guard. However,
he did not attempt to touch me, but stopped and cried:

"Did I not tell you that somebody would be drowned by those waves? Watch
that boat! watch it! it is doomed; and the scoundrel, the villain, who
is in it will never reach the shore alive!" and he hissed the last word
through his clenched teeth.

"Good God, Jackson!" I said, "don't say that! Look, there is a white
woman in the boat!"

At the words his jaw dropped, his form, which a moment before had swayed
with excitement, became rigid, and his eyes stared at me as if he knew,
but comprehended not, what I had said. Then he slowly turned his face
toward the sea, and, as he did so, the mighty breaker that had been
coming up astern of the boat curled over it. For a moment or two it
rushed forward, a solid body of water, carrying the boat with it; and
in those moments I saw, to my horror, Sooka give one sweep with his oar,
which threw the boat's side toward the roller. I saw the boat-boys leap
clear of the boat into the surf; I saw the agonised faces of the man and
the woman upturned to the wave above them, and then the billow broke,
and nothing was seen but a sheet of frothy water. The boat and those in
it had disappeared. For the crew I had little concern--I knew they would
come ashore safely enough; but for Mr. Bransome and the woman,
whoever she was, there was little hope. They had not had time to throw
themselves into the sea before the boat had capsized, and their clothing
would sink them in such a surf, even if they had escaped being crushed
by the boat. Besides, I feared there had been some foul play on the part
of Sooka. Quickly as he had done it, I had seen him with his oar put the
boat beyond the possibility of escaping from the wave, and I remembered
how he had been treated by Bransome.

With such thoughts I ran along the cliff to the pathway that led down to
the beach; and as I ran, I saw Jackson running before me, not steadily
or rightly, but heavily, and swaying from side to side as he we