Before he could recover one of the planks struck him over the eyebrows and the next struck him on the back of the head driving him completely under.

His paddle was smashed in two and one half of it gone, while he could feel the warm blood running down his forehead.

With the broken piece of the paddle he managed to gain the eddy back of one of the barges.

The miller was awakened by his cries for assistance and the stalwart Hungarian appeared on the deck with a lantern and threw a rope to the almost fainting man.

Paul grasped this firmly and was hauled up till the light of the lantern revealed his blood covered face and glinting rubber head piece.