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 



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