ve. As to the boys, I knew they couldn't hold on if they
couldn't get onto the bottom of the boat; so I shouted to 'em to try
to climb up. But they couldn't do it, sir; they'd tried already, over
and over again. It would ha' been easy enough in calm water; but with
the boat rolling and such waves going over her, and knocking them back
again when they'd half got up, it was too much for 'em. If I'd ha'
been free I could have got 'em up by working round to the side
opposite 'em, and given them a hand to haul them up; but as it was,
with only one hand free, it took me all my time to hold on where I
was. The girl saw it too, for she turned her face round to me, and
spoke for the first time.

"'Let me go, please,' says she, 'and help your boys.'

"'I can't do it,' said I. 'I've got to hold you till we're both
drowned together.'

"I spoke short and hard, sir; for, if you'll believe me, I was
actually beginning to hate that gal. There was my own two boys
a-struggling for their lives, and I couldn't lend a hand to help 'em,
because I was hampered by that white-faced thing. She saw it in my
face, for she gave a sort of little cry, and said:

"'Oh, do--do let me go!'

"I didn't answer a word, but held on all the harder. Presently
Bill--he was my youngest boy--sang out:

"'Father, can't you get round and lend us a hand to get up? I can't
hold on much longer.'

"'I can't help you, Bill,' says I. 'I've given my promise to take this
young woman back, and I must keep my word. Her life's more precious to
her father than yours is to me, no doubt, and she's got to be saved.'

"It was cruel of me, sir, and altogether unjust, and I knew it was
when I said it, but I couldn't help it. I felt as if I had a devil in
me. I was just mad with sorrow and hopelessness, and yet each word
seemed to come as cold and hard from me as if it was frozen. For a
moment she didn't move, and then, all of a sudden like, she gave a
twist out of my arms and went straight down. I grabbed at her, and
just got hold of her cloak and pulled her up again. She never moved
after that, but just lay quiet on my arm as if she was dead. Her head
was back, half in, half out of the water; and it was only by the tears
that run down sometimes through her eyelids, and by a little sob in
her breast, that I knew that she was sensible.

"Presently Bill says, 'Good-by, father. God bless you!' and then he
let go his hold and went down. Five minutes afterwards, maybe, though