He did not speak, only looked at me in a curious, half vacant way, and I
shivered, for this was, I felt sure, the first step toward his losing
consciousness and loosening his hold.
"I say," I cried, "don't give up like that. You've got to climb up on
to these boards. I'm going to help you, but I can't unless you help me
too."
There was no reply, only the same fixed stare in his dilated eyes, and
in my horror I looked wildly round at the place I had thought so
beautiful, but which was now all terrible to me, and felt how utterly we
were away from help.
I began again, twining my legs now about the nearest post, and this
enabled me to hold on, but I could get up no farther. I tried, though,
to drag Mercer on to the woodwork, but my position crippled me, and I
should have required double the muscular power I possessed.
I believe I made other trials, but a curious sensation of weakness and
confusion was coming over me, as I uttered one after the other my loud
cries for help.
It was horrible, and yet it seemed ridiculous that we two lads could not
struggle up there into safety; but though I thought so then, I have
often felt since that in my cramped position I was loaded down, as it
were, with my companion's weight.
The end seemed to be coming fast. I had no dread for myself, since I
felt that, once free of Mercer's tight clutch and the hold I had upon
him, I could grasp the far edge of the woodwork, draw myself farther up,
and sit and rest. But before I could do this I knew that he would have
sunk away from me, and in a confused fashion I began to wonder whether I
should hear him scream out as he was drowning, or whether he would sink
down gently without a sound.
I shouted again, but my voice sounded weak, and as if it did not
penetrate the trees which closed us in, and now it seemed to be all
over, for the horrible sense of faintness was returning fast, and I made
one more desperate effort before I felt that I too was going to sink
back into the black water; and in that wild last fit of energy I uttered
what was quite a shriek, and then felt half choked by the spasm of joy
that seemed to rise into my throat.