e with everything he could lay
hands on, and was not aware of the foreign invasion in front. Mr
Seaforth cared little for this, however, and began to collect all the
things he held most valuable, and threw them to the man, who stowed
them away in the boat. Peter had been left in charge of the cattle,
so they had to work hard. While thus employed the water continued to
rise with fearful rapidity, and rushed against the house like a
mill-race, so that it soon became evident that the whole would ere
long be swept away. Just as they finished loading the boat and
canoes, the staple which held them gave way; in a moment they were
swept into the middle of the river, and carried out of sight. The
Canadian was in the boat at the time the staple broke, so that Mr
Seaforth was now left in a dwelling that bid fair to emulate Noah's
ark in an hour or two, without a chance of escape, and with no better
company than five black oxen in the dining-room, besides three sheep
that were now scarcely able to keep their heads above water, and three
little pigs that were already drowned. The poor old man did his best
to push out the intruders, but only succeeded in ejecting two sheep
and an ox. All the others positively refused to go, so he was fain to
let them stay. By shutting the outer door he succeeded in keeping out
a great deal of water. Then he waded into the parlour, where he found
some more little pigs, floating about and quite dead. Two, however,
more adventurous than their comrades, had saved their lives by
mounting first on a chair and then upon the table, where they were
comfortably seated, gazing languidly at their mother, a very heavy fat
sow, which sat, with what seemed an expression of settled despair, on
the sofa. In a fit of wrath, Mr Seaforth seized the young pigs and
tossed them out of the window; whereupon the old one jumped down, and
half walking, half swimming, made her way to her companions in the
dining-room. The old gentleman now ascended to the garret, where from
a small window he looked out upon the scene of devastation. His chief
anxiety was about the foundation of the house, which, being made of a
wooden framework, like almost all the others in the colony, would
certainly float if the water rose much higher. His fears were better
founded than the house. As he looked up the river, which had by this
time overflowed all its banks and