side, in a part where the river was split in two among three
rocks. It went through with a horrid thundering that made
my belly quake; and there hung over the lynn a little
mist of spray. Alan looked neither to the right nor to the
left, but jumped clean upon the middle rock and fell there
on his hands and knees to check himself, for that rock was
small and he might have pitched over on the far side. I had
scarce time to measure the distance or to understand the
peril before I had followed him, and he had caught and
stopped me.

So there we stood, side by side upon a small rock slippery
with spray, a far broader leap in front of us, and the river
dinning upon all sides. When I saw where I was, there came
on me a deadly sickness of fear, and I put my hand over my
eyes. Alan took me and shook me; I saw he was speaking,
but the roaring of the falls and the trouble of my mind pre-
vented me from hearing; only I saw his face was red with
anger, and that he stamped upon the rock. The same look
showed me the water raging by, and the mist hanging in the
air: and with that I covered my eyes again and shuddered.

The next minute Alan had set the brandy bottle to my
lips, and forced me to drink about a gill, which sent the blood
into my head again. Then, putting his hands to his mouth,
and his mouth to my ear, he shouted, "Hang or drown!"
and turning his back upon me, leaped over the farther branch
of the stream, and landed safe. I was now alone upon the
rock, which gave me the more room; the brandy was singing
in my ears; I had this good example fresh before me, and
just wit enough to see that if I did not leap at once, I should
never leap at all. I bent low on my knees and flung myself
forth, with that kind of anger of despair that has sometimes
stood me in stead of courage. Sure enough, it was but my
hands that reached the full length! these slipped, caught
again, slipped again; and I was sliddering back into the
lynn, when Alan seized me, first by the hair, then by the
collar, and with a great strain dragged me into safety.

Never a word he said, but set off running again for his life,
and I must stagger to my feet and run after him. I had been
weary before, but now I was sick and bruised, and partly
drunken with the brandy; I kept stumbling as I ran, I had a
stitch that came near to overmaster me; and when at last
Alan paused under a great rock that stood there among

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