!" roared the overseer.

"There big 'gator, sah--'gator gar, sah," cried the man piteously.

"Bah! In with you," cried the overseer fiercely, and he cracked his
whip, with the result that the man lowered the pole again, and then
half-slipped, half-jumped down into the water, which rose breast-high,
and he had to hold on by the boat-hook to keep himself from being swept
away.

But the next moment he steadied himself.

"There, wade out," cried Saunders; "quick, before it is too late.
Quick, sir; do you hear?"

He cracked his whip loudly as he spoke, and the man raised the pole
after separating his legs to increase his support, as he leaned to his
left to bear against the rushing tide, which threatened to sweep him
from his feet. Then, reaching out, he thrust down the boat-hook again
to get another support before taking a step farther from the staging.

But it was in vain. The water deepened so suddenly that as he took the
step the water rose to his nostrils, and he uttered a yell, for the
current swept him from his feet to fall over sidewise, and the next
moment lay, as it were, upon the surface, with only one side of his face
visible; but he was not borne away.

The other blacks, and even the overseer, stared in wonder, for there the
man lay, with the tide rushing by him, anchored, as it were, in the
stream, rising and falling gently like a buoy for a few moments before
beginning to glide with the current.

"It's of no use," said the overseer sharply; "the hound's dead before
now. Clumsy fool! Two of you jump in, and one reach out to get hold of
Xerxes; we must give the new fellow up."

The men shrank, but they obeyed, lowering themselves into the water and
joining hands, one of them taking hold of the end of the staging, while
the other waded a step or two and reached out, as he clung to his
fellow's extended hand till he was just able to get hold of the cotton
jacket.

That was sufficient; the black was drawn a trifle shoreward, and then
came more and more, as if dragging with him whatever it was that had
anchored him to the bottom.

That mystery was soon explained, for the pole of the boat-hook, to which
the poor fellow clung, appeared level with the surface, and as the drag
was increased more and more of the pole appeared, till all three were
close up to the piles; after which first one and then another climbed
out to drag at the long stout staff, till, to the surprise of all, they
found that what