Death of Jack 
the current, which was running very strongly, 
again caught the lighter, and in an instant the 
big rope drew taut, catching poor Jack’s foot 
between it and the taffrail ledge, and cutting it 
clean off just above his boot, which fell over the 
side. I was sitting yarning with my companion 
in the stern of the steamer when I heard Dicky 
shouting and cursing in a most frantic manner. 
I did not move for a few seconds until he came 
running aft, saying, “‘ Come here, you something- 
or-other passengers, Jack has lost his leg.” I 
went forrard, finding poor Jack propped up 
abaft the wheel-house. Blood was spurting 
from the wound in a continuous stream. It was 
now almost dark. I seized the flag halyards, a 
length of which I cut down, and made Dicky 
get me a belaying-pin, and with this primitive 
outfit, put a tourniquet just above the wound, 
which stopped the flow of blood. Then I put a 
pad on the inside of his thigh over the artery, 
and put another tourniquet over this, twisting 
it up as tight as I dared. I then gave him a dose 
of neat brandy, for he had lost a great quantity 
of blood, and told Dicky to cast the lighter 
adrift and steam back to Fontesvilla as fast as 
he could. This he proceeded to do, but it took 
us three-quarters of an hour or more to get there 
against that strong stream. When we arrived 
within a short distance, Dicky kept the whistle 
going in order to let people know something was 
79 
