On and on he was carried. It seemed that every instant the speed increased. It was useless to cry out--no one was near, even if indeed, his voice should reach the shore. His mind was filled with countless anxious thoughts. What would his friends think of his absence? What would Mont say? What would Deb do if he was lost?
Thinking of his dear sister was more painful than aught else, and he uttered a sincere prayer that his life might be spared, for her sake, if not for his own.
Presently, through the gloom came the noise of the water as it washed over and around the rocks below.
He lifted his head as high as possible, and strained his eyes to get a view of the situation, but water and foam were alone in sight.
Nearer and nearer he was now drawing. The water bubbled all around. Then like a flash a black object loomed to the right.
He struggled with all his power to gain it. Kicking and plunging, his side struck a rock.
He tried to grasp it, but it slipped. Another and still another passed. The water surged on all sides.
Suddenly his feet touched bottom. He threw himself with all his force against the current.
"Now or never!" were his thoughts. "For home and Deb!"
He flung his body to one side where a sharp rock stuck out of the water but a few inches, and, half turning, he threw his arm partly over it.
His feet were swept from under him, and as the cord upon his wrists still refused to part, his shoulder was nearly dislocated by the strain that was thus brought to bear.
Beside the sharp rock was another, and drawing a long breath, he gradually worked his way until he lay flat upon its surface.
This new resting place was not more than seven feet in length by three in width, yet to Jack it seemed a perfect island, so much more preferable was it to the cold water of the stream.
The young machinist lay quiet for a long time.
He was utterly exhausted, and it was no easy task to recover the wind that had been knocked out of him.
After a while, he turned over and sat up. He was afraid to try standing, fearful of losing his footing.
In the semi-darkness he calculated that the rocks leading to either shore were fully fifteen or twenty feet away--a distance which, in such a place as this, was as bad as a mile, so far as reaching them was concerned.