irectly opposite to him. The prospect of escape brought a thrill
of life to his frame; he looked around and saw that the flood had indeed
fallen.

3. "We have no rope," he heard one of the men say. "How shall we reach
him?"

"There is no time to get one now," the other answered. "My horse is
stronger than yours. I'll go into the creek just below, where it's broader
and not so deep, and work my way up to him,"

"But one horse can't carry both."

"His will follow, be sure, when it sees me."

4. As the last speaker moved away, Gilbert saw a led horse plunging
through the water beside the other. It was a difficult and dangerous
undertaking. The horseman and the loose horse entered the main stream
below, where its divided channel met and broadened, but it was still above
the saddle girths, and very swift.

5. Sometimes the animals plunged, losing their foothold; nevertheless,
they gallantly breasted the current, and inch by inch worked their way to
a point about six feet below Gilbert. It seemed impossible to approach
nearer.

"Can you swim?" asked the man.

Gilbert shook his head. "Throw me the end of Roger's bridle!" he then
cried.

6. The man unbuckled the bridle and threw it, keeping the end of the rein
in his hand. Gilbert tried to grasp it, but his hands were too numb. He
managed, however, to get one arm and his head through the opening, and
relaxed his hold on the log.

7. A plunge, and the man had him by the collar. He felt himself lifted by
a strong arm and laid across Roger's saddle. With his failing strength and
stiff limbs, it was no slight task to get into place; and the return,
though less laborious to the horses, was equally dangerous, because
Gilbert was scarcely able to support himself without help.

"You're safe now," said the man, when they reached the bank, "but it's a
downright mercy of God that you're alive!"

8. The other horseman joined them, and they rode slowly across the flooded
meadow. They had both thrown their cloaks around Gilbert, and carefully
steadied him in the saddle, one on each side. He was too much exhausted to
ask how they had found him, or whither they were taking him,--too numb
for curiosity, almost for gratitude.

9. "Here's your savior!" said one of the men, patting Roger's shoulder.
"It was through him that we found you. Do you wish to know how?
Well--about three o'clock it was, maybe a little earlier, maybe a little
later, my wife woke me up. 'Do you hear that?'