worked its
way along, father and all the servants followed it anxiously with their
eyes, from the beach.

When Jens had got up on to the rock, over which the waves washed one
after another, so that he often stood in water up to his knees, he
secured the boat, and began to haul in the line, drawing after it
through the water a thick cable, which the man on board was paying out
gradually. He had just begun to fasten it to the mooring ring, and had
only the last two knots in the rope to make, when we all became aware of
three tremendous waves that would infallibly break over the rock.

Jens's life was evidently in danger, and the yacht too, which, with her
one overstrained rope, would scarcely be able to bear the pressure.

I saw French Martina, his _fiancee_, clasp her hands above her head and
run out into the surf, almost as if she thought of throwing herself into
the water to go to him, and I think that not one of the others looking
on dared to draw breath.

It appeared that Jens had noticed the danger himself; he hastened down
to the boat, in which he could still shelter himself, but it was only to
take up from it the line, which he calmly wound several times round his
body and through the mooring ring, as he could no longer rely upon his
own giant strength.

He had scarcely completed these preparations, when the first wave, which
he faced with bent head, broke right over him and the rock. The interval
before the second came he employed in making another knot in the
land-rope.

Again came a wave, and again Jens stood firm, and he now made the final
knot in the rope that saved the yacht.

He had now made trial of what the force of a wave could be. He threw the
line from his back up round his great broad shoulders, turned his strong
pale face towards our house for a moment, as if it were quite possible
that he was now bidding it farewell, and bent his head towards the third
and last wave, which was advancing with a foaming crest, as usual,
larger than its two predecessors.

When the wave had broken in foam, and gone by, no Jens stood on the
rock.

I ran down in horror to the others. When I got there, they had
recovered, besides the boat, which had been torn from the rock, the
apparently lifeless body of Jens, and were now carrying it to the house.

The wave had dragged him along, the line that he had round his shoulders
having slipped up to his neck, and taken clothes and skin with it. He
now lay unconsciou