A TERRIBLE RACE. 
369 
these just as the advancing ripple commenced to wash 
it. Doubling it at full speed, and with the water al- 
ready ankle-deep, I shouted to those behind, “Bear a 
hand! bear a hand!” and dashed along the next stretch 
of beach to gain the last point. 
About this time I began to feel a little the worse 
for exercise. My skin was hot and dry, my knees de- 
cidedly weaker than at fii'st, while my throat and chest 
actually burned under the constant friction of rapid and 
heavy breathing. My sight, too, was dimmed by the 
extreme exertion, and a dizzy feeling about the brain 
advised me to slacken my pace or risk a probable fall. 
Still, knowing that every thing now depended on some one 
reaching the boat before she was washed away^ and knowing 
also that time was short and that I was the nearest one 
to her, I was urged to push ahead at every risk. I felt 
that, if I could but weather this last point, all would be 
well; for the boat lay just beyond it, and I could easily 
get into her and return for my companions. It was 
this conviction which, combined with my “badly-scarcd” 
condition, served to keep me up to speed, while I felt 
every moment more and more like fainting. 
At times I thought of giving out in sjjitc of all this ; 
but then I cast my eyes from the inclined, wedge-like 
surface of the foaming waters to the dark outlines of 
the point, which was now only a few hundred yards 
ahead, and, reflecting that I had only to round the 
latter and grasp the boat’s gunwale, straightened up 
nervously and threw myself bodily toward it, tliough 
my knees did tremble, my feet come down rather wildly, 
24 
