fancy's dangers. 105 



not out of his depth, — so gradual was the slope of 

 the sand. Presently, notwithstanding this as- 

 surance, my blood curdled in every vein, as I 

 heard my friend's scream and saw his up-lifted 

 hands. But judge my dehght — I saw him next 

 moment standing immersed only to his arm-pits, — 

 and all of a sudden heard his loud out-bursting up- 

 roarious laugh ; and wading along, he soon joined 

 me. " What in the name of wonderment," asked 

 I, "were you laughing at?" "You may well en- 

 quire," said he ; " little did I know how near my 

 legs were to the bottom at that instant ! The tide 

 carried me out before I was aware of it, and I had 

 much to buffet with when I turned — my strength, 

 with my heart, failed, when I saw the work and 

 distance before me, and I was for the last twenty 

 minutes swimming for my life at the top of my 

 power. At last, perfectly exhausted, I really re- 

 signed myself to death, for I could swim no fur- 

 ther ; I made up my mind to die; I 'screamt' my 

 scream and down I went. Not less to my delight 

 than surprise, I then, for the first time, became 

 aware that for the last quarter of an hour I must 

 have been swimming in shoal water, within my 

 depth, and without the least danger. And I 

 could not, after the first burst of thanks to Provi- 

 dence had passed, refrain from the outbreak of 

 laughter you noticed, to think how much time, 

 labour, anxiety, and despair I had expended in 



