.

The Swede looked about him vaguely, and then his eyes became fixed on
a point of the log wall, as if through it he had been able to discern
things that lay beyond.

"Hugo an' me," he began again, very slowly and softly, "ve vent off
north from here, a year an' a half it is now, after de ice she vent
off de lakes. And ve trafel long vays, most far as vhere de Albany she
come down in James Bay. Ve vos lookin' for silfer an' copper an' tings
like dat. An' dere come one day vhen ve gets awful rough water on a
lake and ve get upset. Him Hugo he svim like a otter, he do, but me I
svim like a stone. De shore he ban couple hundret yard off, mebbe
leetle more. I hold on to de bow and Hugo he grab de stern. So he
begin push for shore, svimmin' vid his feet, but dat turriple slow
going, vid de canoe all under vater, yoost holdin' us up a bit, and it
vos cold, awful turriple cold in dat vater. He calls to me ve can't
make it dat vay, ve don't make three-four yards a minute. Den I calls
for him to let go, for I ban tanking he safe his life anyvay, svimmin'
ashore vhere ve had our camp close by. Und vhat you tank he do, ma'am?
He yell to me not be tam fool, dat vhat he do! He say, 'How I look at
your voman an' de kids in de face, vhen I gets back vidout you?' So he
lets go and my end sink deep so I let go an' vos fighting to keep up
but he grab me and say to take holt of his shoulter. He swear he trown
vid me if I don't. So I done it, ma'am, and he svim, svim turriple
hard, draggin' me ashore. I yoost finds my feet on de bottom vhen he
keels ofer, like dead, vid de cold and de playin' out. So I takes him
in my arms and runs in. I had matches in my screw-box but my fingers
vos dat froze I couldn't get 'em out first. But I manages make a fire,
by an' by, and I rubs de life back into him again. And--and you know
vhat is first ting he say vhen he vake up?"

Madge shook her head.

"Him Hugo yoost say, 'Now I kin look Mis' Olsen in de face, vhen ve
gets back, eh, old pard?'"

The man kept still again, looking anxiously at the sufferer and
watching the hurried breathing. The feeling of his uselessness was
evidently a torture to him, but his heart was too full for him to
remain silent very long.

"An' now I am here an' can do nodings. I ban no more use dan--dan de
tog dere. My God, leddy, tell me vhat I can do! He most trown himself
an' freeze to death to safe me dat time an' I got sit still like a big
tam fool an' him goin' under