Identifier: boytarorvoyagein00reid (find matches)
Title: The boy tar; or, A voyage in the dark
Year: 1860 (1860s)
Authors: Reid, Mayne, 1818-1883 Keene, Charles, 1823-1891
Subjects:
Publisher: Boston, Ticknor and Fields
Contributing Library: Information and Library Science Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Digitizing Sponsor: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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out against them, butmust succumb. Even as they were, it was doubtfulwhether my strength would hold out. The last great wave that struck me had somewhataltered my foothold upon the stones, and it was necessa-ry for me to recover it, or fix myself still better. Forthis purpose I raised my body a little by my arms, andwas feeling about with my foot for the most elevatedpoint of my battery, when another huge wave camerushing along, and whipping both my feet off the stones,carried them out from the shaft. I held on with botharms, and for some moments hung almost horizontallyupon the water, until the wave had passed. Then per-mitting my feet to drop down, I felt once more for thesupport of the cairn. I touched the stones, but onlytouched them. As soon as a pound of my weight restedupon them, I felt the cairn crumbling beneath my feet,as if it had melted suddenly away ; and, no longer ableto sustain myself, I glided down the staff, and sank afterthe scattered pile to the bottom of the sea!
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CHAPTER XIL HUGGING THE STAFF. Fortunately for me I had learnt to swim, and thatI was a tolerably good hand at it. It was the most use-ful accomphshment I could have possessed at that mo-ment ; and but for it I should have been drowned onthe instant. Diving, too, I could do a little at, else theducking I then received would have discomfited me agood deal; for I went quite to the bottom among theugly black stones. I stayed there not a moment longer than I couldhelp, but mounted back to the surface like a duck ; andthen, rising upon the wave, looked around me. Myobject in so doing was to get sight of the signal-staff,and with the spray driving in my eyes this was not soeasy. Just like a water-dog searching for some objectin the water, I had to turn twice or thrice before Isaw it — for I was uncertain in which direction to lookfor it, so completely had the sudden plunge blinded meand blunted my senses. I got my eyes upon it at length ; not within reach,as might have been expected — b

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