The advantage given him, by
turning to allow him to put his hands on my shoulders, liked to have
cost me dear. Instead of doing as I directed, he grasped my neck with
both arms, and seemed to wish to mount on my head, forcing his own
shoulders quite out of water, and mine, by that much weight, beneath
it. It was while we were thus placed, his mouth within an inch or two
of my very ear, that I heard the words muttered which have been
mentioned. It is possible, however, that he was unconscious of that
which terror and despair extorted from him.
I saw no time was to be lost, and my efforts became desperate. I
first endeavoured to swim with this great encumbrance; but it was
useless. The strength of Hercules could not long have buoyed up the
under body of such a load, sufficiently to raise the nostrils for
breath; and the convulsive twitches of Drewett's arms were near
strangling me. I must throw him off, or drown. Abandoning the attempt
to swim, I seized his hands with mine, and endeavoured to loosen his
grasp of my neck. Of course we both sank while I was thus engaged; for
it was impossible to keep my head above water, by means of my feet
alone, with a man of some size riding, from his shoulders up, above
the level of my chin.
I can scarcely describe what followed.
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