be  pulling  his  long  steady  stroke  and  tlie  precisioa  -with  which
he  steered,  scarcely  ever  casting  a  look  over  his  shoulder.
He  was  hugging  the  Berkshire  side  himself,  as  the  other  skiff
passed  him,  and  thought  he  heard  the  sculler  say  something
about  keeping  out  and'minding  the  small  lasher  ;  but  the  noise
of  the  waters  and  his  own  desperate  efforts  prevented  his
heeding,  or,  indeed,  hearing  the  warning  plainly.  In  another
minute,  however,  he  heard  plainly  enough  most  energetic
shouts  behind  him,  and,  turning  his  head  over  his  right
shoulder,  saw  the  man  who  had  just  passed  him  backing  his
skiff  rapidly  up  stream  toward  him.  The  next  moment  he
felt  the  bows  of  his  boat  turn  suddenly  to  the  left ;  the  old
tub  grounded  for  a  moment  and  then,  turning  over  on  her  side,
shot  him  out  on  to  the  planking  of  the  steep  descent  into  the
smaU  lasher.  He  grasped  at  the  boards,  but  they  were  too
slippery  to  hold,  and  the  rush  of  water  was  too  strong  for  him,
and  rolling  him  over  and  over  like  a  piece  of  driftwood,
plunged  him  into  the  pond  below.
After  the  first  moment  of  astonishment  and  fright  was  over,
Tom  left  himself  to  the  stream,  holding  his  breath  hard,  arid
paddling  gfently  with  his  hands,  feeling  sure  that,  if  he  could
only  hold  on,  he  should  come  to  the  surface  sooner  or  later  ;
which  accordingly  happened  after  a  somewhat  lengthy  suib-
mersion.
