266 The Coui'se, the Camp, the Chase 



were now some four feet under water. Immediately on 

 reaching the land I had prepared to try and give assistance 

 by slipping off my coat and waistcoat, and with the help 

 of some one standing by, had taken oft' my top-boots. 

 With a fortunate thought, as I ran down and jumped into 

 the water, I undid the buttons of the breeches at the 

 knees, which just made all the difference in being able to 

 swim. Others who went in without doing so found that 

 the water got in at the waist, and being unable to escape 

 at the knees, they were so hampered that they were quite 

 powerless to move, and had to return as best they could. 



Our chief idea was to save Sir Charles, if possible. He, 

 poor fellow, most unfortunately never tried to swim with 

 the stream and make for the bank from which we started, 

 where were any amount of people ready to help ; and no 

 doubt he would have been able to get sufficiently near to 

 it for assistance to have reached him. From the very first 

 his one idea seemed to be to get back to the boat, but he 

 was out in the full force of one of the highest floods that 

 had been known for many years, and he could not hold his 

 own against it. Others, who had also been upset into the 

 water, he saw safely getting out on to the top of the boat, 

 and this, no doubt, prevented his trying to act differently ; 

 but they were in a little backwater, caused by the boat 

 being held fast by the chain, and had no stream to contend 

 against. The set of the current, too, was towards the other 

 shore, so that when I was swimming across to try to get 

 to his help, I found that he was being carried further away 

 as well as down-stream. Before I could reach him he 

 was completely exhausted. His horse " Saltfish " came 

 swimming down the stream,- close to him, and he gathered 

 himself together for one last effort. As the horse passed 



