hout as they tried to keep their flocks
together under the shelter of some granite for, while down by the falls
at the salmon-pool the water came over as it had never come before.

Nic had a faint recollection of his fight with Humpy Dee, and of some
one coming to take his part, with the result that they were all tangled
up together till they were forced beneath the water. This must have
separated them, so that he was quite alone now, being carried round and
round the pool, rising and falling in a regular way, till he came
beneath the falls, when down came the tons of water upon his head,
driving him beneath the surface, to glide on in the darkness, feeling
sick and half-suffocated, while his head burned and throbbed as if it
would burst.

It did not seem to matter much, but it appeared very strange; and this
must be drowning, but it took such a long time, and went on and on,
repeating itself in the same way as if it would never end.

That part of it was very strange, too--that light; and it puzzled Nic
exceedingly, for it seemed to be impossible that he should be going
round and round in the salmon-pool, to be sucked under the falls, and
feel the water come thundering upon his head with a crash and creak and
groan, and in the midst of it for a lanthorn to come slowly along till
it was quite close to him, and voices to be heard.

After seeing it again and again, he felt that he understood what it was.
He had been drowned, and they were coming with a lanthorn to look for
his body; but they never found it, though they came and stood talking
about him over and over again.

At last he heard what was said quite plainly, but he only knew one voice
out of the three that spoke, and he could not make out whose that was.

The voice said, "Better, sir, to-day;" and another voice said, "Oh yes,
you're getting all right now: head's healing nicely. The sooner you get
up on deck and find your sea-legs the better."

"Oh, I shall be all right there, sir."

"Been to sea before?"

"In fishing craft, sir--often. But would you mind telling me, sir,
where we're going?"

"Oh, you'll know soon enough, my lad. Well: America and the West
Indies."

"This must be a dream," thought Nic; and he was lying wondering, when
the light was suddenly held close to him, and he could see over his head
beams and planks and iron rings and ropes, which made it all more
puzzling than ever.

Then a cool hand touched his brow, and it seemed as if