Daniel Pratt 225 



I saw him look at the spot where the boy had dis- 

 appeared, and then intently scan the water for his 

 re-appearance. There was a sudden ripple on the 

 surface, and then a matted head of hair and a strug- 

 gling pair of arms appeared. Daniel did not delay an 

 instant. I saw him swim quickly to the boy, seize 

 his coat collar at the back of the neck, and with 

 strong strokes try to tow him to the land. It was 

 a hopeless effort ; for the boy, who was large, could 

 not swim, and his weight was like lead to the sturdy 

 dog that was trying to sustain it. Then both dog and 

 boy sank beneath the surface. My heart sank with 

 them. In a moment more I had reached the spot, 

 but the surface of the lake was calm, excepting only 

 the ripples which played about the place where both 

 boy and dog had gone down together. It seemed 

 to me I counted the seconds, and that each one 

 grew longer. The frightened boys stood huddled on 

 the bank, mute and pale. The air itself seemed 

 suddenly stilled, and even the trees appeared to cease 

 their rustling. During that frightful period of sus- 

 pense, I looked earnestly at the place where the 

 boy and dog had sunk ; then my eyes swept nearer 



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