Maester ! maester ! " he shouted, " Come off ! come off ! "
and many a voice besides mine echoed him, " Come off !
come off ! "

The girl got John Binder by the arm, and said hoarsely,
" Fetch him off ! He's a reight good 'un — over good to
be drownded^ if— if it's of no use." And she sat down on

G 2



84 WE AND THE WORLD,

the bank, and pulled her millshawl over her head, and
cried as I had never seen anyone cry before.
I was so busy watching her that I did not see that
Mr. Wood had got back to the bank. Several hands were
held out to help him up, but he shook his head and said—
" Got a knife ? "

Two or three jack knives were out in an instant He
pointed to the alder thicket. " I want two poles," he said,
" sixteen feet long, if you can, and as thick as my wrist at
the bottom."

« All right, sir."

He sat down on the bank, and I rushed up and took
one of his cold wet hands in both mine, and said, '' Please
please, don't go on any more."

"He must be dead ever so long ago," I added, repeating
what I had heard.
