The String of Pearls (1850), p. 723

Mark Ingestrie felt that his only chance of getting through the surf was to dive under it, and that manoeuvre he executed with a skill that few could have commanded and to the admiration and delight of all the spectators of his heroic conduct, he appeared outside the roaring edge of the sea, quite able to swim gallantly towards the shipwrecked man.
As he had said, the dawn was coming fast now, so that there was no great difficulty in seeing him, and in watching, with some degree of accuracy, his movements.
"He will do it!" said the colonel.
"Do it?" said the sailor who had the first hold of the rope that was round the body of Mark Ingestrie, "Do it? Of course he will. The man who has the heart and hand to try these sort of things, always does them."
"I believe you are right, my friend," said the colonel.
"I know I am, sir. I have seen too much of this sort of thing, and if I had not been a little out of sorts in my larboard leg, I should have gone ; but I'm not all right, you see, sir, so it won't do. Ah, there he has him! It's aLl right enough—I told you so."
The progress of Ingestrie was watched by many eyes with the most intense interest. Under no circumstances was distance so deceiving as at sea; and although the black object in the water, which the practised eye of Ingestrie had shown him, was a man, appeared to be only just without the line of the surf, he (Ingestrie) knew that the distance was, in reality, much greater, and that he would have a good swim through those troubled waters before he could get within arm's-length of the shipwrecked person. To be sure, as the body was drifting to the shore, he made better progress, and the distance between him and it was diminished much more rapidly than as if it had been stationary.
Colonel Jeffrey distinctly saw Ingestrie reach the body, at length, and the sailor who had hold of the rope, likewise saw him, and he sung out—
"Now, pull away; but easy, my lads—a steady pull, and no jerking, or you will hinder him instead of helping. That's it—easy now, easy/'
"Ah!" said Ben, who had come down to the beach to see what was going on.
"Easy does everything, as I always said. Pray, Colonel Jeffrey, what unfortunate animal is that you are dragging out of the water?"
"Don't you know, Ben?"
"Not I. But I suppose it is some poor half-drowned fellow from the ship."
"It is that, as well, I hope; but the person who is with him, and who is being hauled to the shore, is no other than our friend, Mr. Ingestrie."
"What, Johanna's husband?"
"The same."
"Oh, lor! oh, lor! I'm afraid easy won't do it then, and that my little girl will be a widow. Give me hold of the rope. If pulling will do it, I'll soon have him on shore again all right. The idea, now, of a man, with the nicest young creature of a wife in the world, going into the sea at the end of a rope, and covering himself all over with froth and sea-weed! Oh, dear! oh, dear! It's truly dreadful, it is; and easy certainly don't do it."
Ben would have lent his aid to pull the rope, but the colonel kept him back, as it was not strength but skill and tact that in the process was required, and the rope was in the hands of men who had both.
It was clear that Ingestrie had got hold of the floating object, whatever it was, and that, as he was pulled into shore, he brought it with him. When he reached the edge of the surf again, a quick pull brought him at once through it, and a couple of the sailors, dashing into the waters, got a hold of him, and drew him right up on to the beach between them.
Half a dozen more brought to the shore the body of a man, tied to a plank of wood.
Poor Mark was nearly exhausted. He was just able only to smile faintly in answer tothe colonel's anxious inquiries.

apswer cthe colonel's anxious inquiries.

THE STRING OE PEARLS. 723

Mark Ingestrie felt that his only chance of getting through the surf was to dive
under it, and that manoeuvre he executed with a skill that few could have commanded
and to the admiration and delight of all the spectators of his heroic conduct,
he appeared outside the roaring edge of the sea, quite able to swim gallantly
towards the shipwrecked man.

As he had said, the dawn was coming fast now, so that there was no great
difficulty in seeing him, and in watching, with some degree of accuracy, his
movements.

" He will do it !" said the colonel.

fi Do it ?" said the sailor who had the first hold of the rope that was round
the body of Mark Ingestrie, " Do it? Of course he will. The man who has
the heart and hand to try these sort of things, always does them."

" I believe you are right, my friend/' said the colonel.

<c I know I am, sir. I have seen too much of this sort of thing, and if I had
not been a little out of sorts in my larboard leg, I should have gone ; but I'm
not all right, you see, sir, so it won't do. Ah, there he has him! It's
ail right enough — I told you so."

The progress of Ingestrie was watched by many eyes with the most intense
interest. Under no circumstances was distance so deceiving as at sea ; and
although the black object in the water, which the practised eye of Ingestrie had
shown him, was a man, appeared to be only just without the line of the surf, he
(Ingestrie) knew that the distance was, in reality, much greater, and that he
would have a good swim through those troubled waters before he could get
within arm's-length of the shipwrecked person. To be sure, as the body was
drifting to the shore, he made better progress, and the distance between him and
it was diminished much more raoidly than as if it had been stationary*

Colonel Jeffrey distinctly saw Ingestrie reach the body, at length, and the
sailor who had hold of the rope, likewise saw him, and he sung out —

« Now, pull away ; but easy, my lads— a steady pull, and no jerking, or you
will hinder him instead of helping. That's it— easy now, easy/'

" Ah !" said Ben, who had come down to the beach to see what was going on.
" Easy does everything, as I always said. Pray, Colonel Jeffrey, what unfortunate
animal is that you are dragging out of the water P

" Don't you know, Ben P? .

" Not I. But I suppose it is some poor half-drowned fellow from the ship/

"It is that, as well, I hope; but the person who is with him, and who is
being hauled to the shore, is no other than our friend, Mr. Ingestrie."

u What, Johanna's husband V*

"The same/' ' j

« Oh, lor ! oh, lor ! I'm afraid easy won't do it then, and that my little girl
will be a widow. Give me hold of the rope. If pulling will do it, Til soon
have him on shore again ail right. The idea, now, of a man, with the nicest
young creature of a wife in the world, going into the sea at the end of a rope,
and covering himself all over with froth and sea-weed! Oh, dear! oh, dear!
It's truly dreadful, it is ; and easy certainly don't do it/'

Ben would have lent his aid to pull the rope, but the colonel kept him back,
as it was not strength but skill and tact that in the process was required,
and the rope was in the hands of men who had both.

It was clear that Ingestrie had got hold of the floating object, whatever it
was, and that, as he was pulled into shore, he brought it with him. When he
reached the edge of the surf again, a quick pull brought him at once through it,
and a couple of the sailors, dashing into the waters, got a hold of him, and drew
him right up on to the beach between them.
I Half a dozen more brought to the shore the body of a man, tied to a plank of

wood. ,
Poor Mark was nearly exhausted. He was just able only to smile lajntly m

apswer cthe colonel's anxious inquiries.