h its cherry-ribbands, floating on the top.

Some distance above there were people walking. Shrieks filled the air
and roused all within sight to running and shouting. Poor gasping,
choking, deadly faced heads bobbed up a moment on the river's surface
and went under struggling.

"Help! Help!" shouted the running people. "God save them all! Good
Lord! Good Lord!" And in the midst of it out sprang from among the
trees and bushes the great white body of a man, who dashed into the
stream and swam like a dolphin.

If he had been clothed the drowning creatures would have had somewhat
to drag upon--if he had not been as strong as a giant and cool enough
to control them, the poor strangling fools would have so hampered him
in their frenzy that they might have dragged him under water with them.
But there was a power in him and a freedom from all sense of peril
which dominated them all.

"Keep your senses and you are safe," he shouted, swimming and pushing
the overturned boat within reach of the men, who struggled together.

His voice rang like a clarion and held in it such encouragement that
the poor little bride, who came up gasping near him at that moment,
almost took him for a god as he shot to her rescue.

"Your hand on my shoulder; be brave, my girl--be brave," he cried out
with such good cheer as would have put heart in any woman and aided her
to gather her poor frightened wits and obey him like a child, while
even in the midst of her terror, as her little red hands clung to him,
she marked, half unconsciously the beauty and vigour of him--his strong
white neck like a column, the great corded muscles of his white arms as
he clove the water through.

He bore her to the shore and left her safe there, and plunged in again,
crying to her, over his shoulder: "I will bring back the others!" And
she stood dripping, gazing after him, sobbing and wringing her hands,
but filled with wild admiration and amaze.

He shouted orders to the sobered men to hold steady to the wherry and
dived to bring back one woman after another to firm land; a boat found
in the osiers was put forth above, and in time all were brought to
shore, though the bridegroom, who had not come near enough to the
wherry, was dragged in looking like a dead man.

The bride flung herself upon his body, shrieking and kissing him. The
people who had run up crowded about in senseless excitement and would
have kept all air away. But there was one among them who ha