Gil the Gunner | Page 9

her
hand.
"She'll be drowned long before that boat's down," said a gruff voice
behind me, plainly heard in the shouting and excitement. "Why don't
they throw her a life-buoy?"
As whoever it was spoke a yellow ring fell from the vessel, splashed,
and floated on the surface, but nowhere near the drowning woman.
Two men ran along the quay to throw ropes. Other ropes were sent
flying in rings from the Jumna's stern; but I could see that the woman
was too helpless to reach them, even if she saw them, which was
doubtful, and the watching and waiting grew horrible.
The woman was now many yards away from where I stood, and I had
seen her wild eyes gazing up as if into mine as we glided by her, the
look seeming in my excitement to appeal specially to me, and at last I
could bear it no longer.
I drew myself up on to the bulwark, and looked round.
The boat stuck with something wrong about one of the davits; no other
boat was visible; no one had leaped and swum to save the woman,
whose clothes, after sustaining her for some moments, were gradually
sinking out of sight, and the motion of her hand grew slower.
"Yes; she'll be drowned long before they can save her," I said, I believe

aloud, for I seemed to hear the words; and then, without calculating the
consequences, I dived from the high side of the great East Indiaman,
struck the surface, and went on down, down, into the black muddy
water, till I felt as if I should never rise.
Then there was light once again, and I struck out, dimly conscious of
shouts and cheering, but fully awake to the fact that I was swimming
there with the ship gliding away, and the steep forbidding wall of the
dock about a score or two of yards distant, looking slippery, and as if it
would afford no hold if I swam there, as for the moment I felt urged to
do.
For I had forgotten the object which made me plunge into the dock, and
the long immersion had confused me for the time being, as I tried
vainly to make out what people were shouting to me from the quay.
All at once, away to my right, I saw a hand appear above the surface,
and like a flash it came back, and, amidst shrieks and cheers, I swam as
hard as I could for the spot, to reach it just as the hand disappeared.
For the moment I thought all was over, but, thrusting my hands down,
they touched something, and the snatch I gave made the woman's
shoulder roll up above the surface, then her face appeared, and,
knowing the imminent danger, I tried to swerve aside to avoid the
clutch of the poor creature's hand.
I was too late. The fingers seized me with a death-grip, and as I was
thrown off my balance, I struggled to free myself, went under, made a
desperate effort which brought me up again, and recovering myself a
little, I tried hard to swim now and keep both afloat.
It was a time of confused effort and excitement I don't know that I felt
much fear, only that I was getting weaker and weaker, and in a dull,
half-stupefied fashion, I thought that if help did not come soon I should
not be able to save the poor woman.
Then all was black again; there was a thundering in my ears, a scalding
sensation in my throat, and my arms seemed to be turning to lead. But I

was striving hard all the time, and once more in a dim way I saw the
light, and struck out blindly enough, my only aim being to keep afloat.
I was conscious of shouting. Some one close by cried, "Hold her!" but
the water was rising over my eyes again as I felt a sharp shock; hands
clutched me directly after, and I was hauled into a boat, where I lay
panting, my heart throbbing, and a sensation at the back of my neck as
if I had received a sharp blow.
"Oh, he's all right," said a familiar voice. "Give way, my lads, and let's
land her. I dare say they'll bring her to. Better chance than we shall
have."
In a dreamy way I saw the dock wall above me, and people looking
down; then we reached some steps, and the dripping figure of the
woman was lifted out of the boat, and taken by other hands.
"Get her into a room, and fetch a doctor directly," said a voice close to
me, which I now recognised as that of the officer I had run against.
"Now, my lads, give way.--I