him!--save him!" she shrieked in my ear.

What, Hez? Save Hez, to come between us once more? Save her husband--
the man I hated, and would gladly see die? Oh, I couldn't do it; and my
looks showed it, she reading me like a book the while. No, he might
drown--he was drowned--must be. No: just then he moved. But, nonsense!
I wasn't going to risk my life for his, and cut my own throat like, as
to the futur'.

She went down on her knees to me though, pointing again at where Hez
still floated; and the old feeling of love for her was stronger on me
than ever.

"You're asking me to die for you, Jael!" I shouted in her ear.

"Save him--save Hez!" she shrieked.

"Yes, save him!" I groaned to myself. "Bring him back to the happiness
that might be mine. But she loves him--she loves him; and I must."

I give one look at her--as I thought my last--and I couldn't help it.
If she had asked me dumbly, as she did, to do something ten times as
wild, I should have done it; and, with a run, I got well up above Hez
afore I jumped in once more, to have the same fight with the waters till
I was swept down to the bush where he was.

I'd got my knife in my teeth to cut the bush away, and let him free; but
as I was swept against it my weight tore it away, and Hez and I went
down the stream together; him so done up that he lay helpless on the
water.

Something seemed to tell me to finish him off. A minute under water
would have done it; but Jael's face was before me, and at last I got to
the other side, with her climbing along beside us; and if it hadn't been
for the hand she stretched down to me, I should never have crawled out
with old Hez--I was that done.

As I dropped down panting on the rock, Jael came to my side, leaned over
me, and kissed me, and I turned away, for the next moment she was trying
hard, and bringing her husband to, and I was beginning to feel once more
that I had been a fool.

I ain't much more to tell, only that the flood went down 'most as quick
as it had come up, and Hez got all right again with his broken arm, and
did well. They wanted muchly to be friends; but I kep' away. I felt as
I'd been a fool to save him, and I was kinder shamed like of it; so I
took off to 'Frisco, where, after chumming about, I took to going
voyages to Panama and back, and the sea seemed to suit me like, and
there I stuck to it; and one day a ship comes into 'frisco, where I was
hanging ashore after a long drinking bout