ueous
ridge, which at every step appeared to sink deeper into the water, as if
the nearer to land the peninsula became all the more depressed. This,
however, was but a fancy. They had already passed the neck of the
sandspit where it was lowest. It was not that, but the fast flowing
tide that was deepening the water around them.

Deeper and deeper, deeper and deeper, till the salt sea clasped them
around the armpits, and the tidal waves began to break over their heads!

There seemed but one way open to their salvation, but one course by
which they could escape from the engulfment that threatened. This was,
to forego any further attempt at wading, to fling themselves boldly upon
the waves, and swim ashore.

Now that they were submerged to their necks, you may wonder at their not
at once adopting this plan. It is true they were ignorant of the
distance they would have to swim before reaching the shore. Still they
knew it could not be more than a couple of miles, for they had already
traversed quite that distance on the diagonal spit. But two miles need
scarce have made them despair, with both wind and tide in their favour.

Why, then, did they hesitate to trust themselves to the quick bold
stroke of the swimmer, instead of the slow, timid, tortoise-like tread
of the wader?

There are two answers to this question; for there were two reasons for
them not having recourse to the former alternative. The first was
selfish; or rather, should we call it self-preservative. There was a
doubt in the minds of all, as to their ability to reach the shore by
swimming. It was a broad bay that had been seen before sundown; and
once launched upon its bosom, it was a question whether any of them
would have strength to cross it. Once launched upon its bosom there
would be no getting back to the shoal water through which they were
wading: the tidal current would prevent return.

This consideration was backed by another, a lingering belief or hope
that the tide might already have reached its highest, and would soon be
on the "turn". This hope, though faint, exerted an influence on the
waders, as yet sufficient to restrain them from becoming swimmers. But
even after this could no longer have prevailed, even when the waves
began to surge over, threatening at each fresh "sea" to scatter the
shivering castaways and swallow them one by one, there was another
thought that kept them together.

It was a thought neither of self nor