It's a lucky thing that I had no stock down at the corner field by the fish-stews.

If they had not been up here in the home close, every head must have been drowned." "Do you think the fish-ponds are covered, father ?" "Five or six feet deep, my boy." "Then the fish will get out." "Very likely Dick; but we've something more important to think about than fish.

Hark! what's that ?" and he listened.
"Ahoy!" roared Hickathrift from just behind them.

"Hear that, squire ?" "Yes, my lad, I heard a cry from off the water." Just then came another faint hail from a distance.
"That's Dave," said Hickathrift, smiling all over his broad face; "any one could tell his hail: it's something between a wild-goose cry and the squeak of a cart-wheel that wants some grease." The hailing brought out everybody from the house, Mrs Winthorpe's first inquiry being whether it was the Tallingtons.
"Pitch on a bit more straw, Dick," cried the squire; and the lad seized a fork and tossed a quantity on the fire, while the wheelwright stirred up the embers with a pole, the result being that the flames roared up tremendously, sending out a golden shower of sparks which were swept away before the wind, fortunately in the opposite direction to the house, towards which the squire darted one uneasy glance.
"Ahoy!" shouted the wheelwright, and there was a fresh response which sounded weird and strange, coming as it did from out of the black wall of darkness seen beyond the ring of ruddy light which gleamed upon the water.
"They'll get here easily now," said the squire from the very edge of the flood, as he tossed out a piece of wood, and saw that it was floated steadily away.

"The current is slack." He could not avoid shuddering as he thought of the way in which it had pressed upon him as he waded toward the island with Dick upon his back; but the memory passed away directly as a fresh hail came from off the water; and as the group looked out anxiously and listened for the splash of the pole, they at last saw the fire-light shining upon a figure which gradually came gliding out of the darkness.