46 MEMORIES OF MY LIFE 



afterwards proved to be the outer sheathing of the 

 paddle-box. I dived to get clear of it, but found 

 myself held back by projecting nails which had hooked 

 into my clothes. My breath was becoming exhausted, 

 so I passed my hand quickly but steadily all over 

 myself, disentangling nails in two or three places, 

 and then made my last dive for life. I fortunately 

 rose clear, and utilised my former enemy the mass 

 of wood as a raft. I was sufficiently unhurt to help 

 another man who was also in the water and in 

 distress, by pushing a piece of wood to him. 



There was, of course, much commotion all about 

 the scene. The steamboat drifted helplessly ; boats 

 put off from the shore ; the men in the first boat that 

 reached me tried to drive a hard bargain, asking 

 a sovereign to take me in, but being in safety I 

 was able to resist extortion. I then rowed to the 

 ship, and my face was, I understood, a spectacle, 

 being painted with blood that had flowed freely from 

 a few scratches and was spread all over it by the 

 wetting. There was much sympathy shown on the 

 steamboat, and an especial interest in me on the part 

 of the captain, who from the character of his questions 

 obviously feared having to pay damages. So I at 

 last landed, and, feeling little the worse after a short 

 rest, cabbed home to Mr. Partridge's house. The 

 only object that really suffered was my rather 

 valuable watch. There is a short account of this 

 accident in the Life of Leonard Horner, F.R.S., by 

 his daughter K. M. Lyell, ii. 19. I did not hear 

 that any notice of it got into the newspapers. 



I will finish now what little I have to add about 

 my medical experiences, skipping over four or five 



