Here, by a furious effort, Mickey shook him free, and coming
to the surface, struck out again for the suffering hunter.
'It is sorry I am that I was compelled to leave yees behind,' he
muttered, glancing over his shoulder in search of the poor fellow from
whom be had just freed himself; 'but yees are past helpin', and so
it's maeself that must attend to the poor gentleman ahead.'
Striking powerfully out, he soon came beside his friends again and
took the drooping arm of Baldy Bicknell.
'Be yees sufferin' to a great extent?' inquired the kind-hearted
Irishman, looking at the white face of the silent hunter.
'Got a purty good whack over the back,' he replied, between his
compressed lips, as he forced back all expression of pain.
''Ye'll be aisier when we fotch ye to the land, as me uncle obsarved
whin he hauled the big fish ashore that was thrashing his line to
pieces jist.'
'Twon't take you long to git over it,' added Hopkins, anxious to give
his grain of consolation; 'you look, now, like quite a healthy young
man.'
The current was quite rapid, and it was no light labor to tow the
helpless hunter ashore; but the two friends succeeded, and at length
drew him out upon the land and stretched him upon the sward.
Pages:
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42