Not far ahead, the water looked black and still, as it glided through a narrow defile, shut in by the rocks.

That meant deep water; but if he could reach that, he would have to swim, and the men probably would not dare to follow.
Already the shallows were coming to an end, the water reaching to his knees; and it was here that, encouraged and bullied into making a fresh attack, the dogs overtook him once more, and half swimming, half making leaps, they came at him, the bigger avoiding a blow, and seizing him by the left, fortunately without hurt, the animal's teeth meeting only in the padding of the short breeches of the period; but it held on, growling, and shaking its head violently, while its companion, after a deal of barking, dashed in on the right.
This time Ralph's aim was surer and quicker, the dog receiving a sharp cut across the ear from the butt of the rod, and going down at once, to begin howling, and swimming in a circle.
Rid thus of one enemy, the lad proceeded to get rid of the second by a very simple plan.

Lowering his left hand, he got hold of the strap which formed the dog's collar, and in spite of its struggles and worryings, went on as fast as he could go--slowly enough, all the same-- to where the water deepened; and as it reached his thigh, he bent his knees, with the natural result that as the dog held tenaciously to its mouthful of cloth and padding, its head was beneath the water.
A few seconds were sufficient to make it quit its hold, and come up choking and barking; but in obedience to the urging on of one of the men, to pluckily renew the attack.
A sharp crack from the butt knocked all the remaining courage out of its head, and it turned, howling, to swim back toward its masters.
"Here, it's no good, young Darley," yelled one of the men.

"You may give up now.

We've got you fast." "And it'll be the worst for you, if you don't.