Mezzoni the Brigand — page 35: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

MEZZONI THE BRIGAND. 27 boldly after the girl, who was already some two hundred feet away, but still buoyed up by her dress, which was fast losing its sustaining power. He called out to her: ‘Spread out your hands flat upon the water, and keep them in motion.’ “T shall drown!” she cried. ‘“No, you won’t!’’ he pOUNOUT 2 ‘nothing of the kind. Keep your arms in motion.’ ‘“‘T shall drown!’’ was her only answer. The young American was nearing the girl very fast, and all eyes were turned toward them; but the buoyancy of her clothes was gone, and at that mo- ment she threw up her arms, and was indeed sink- ing. Two more strokes and Walter Hammond had seized a scrap of her floating dress, and after a brief struggle, in which he was himself more than once submerged, he succeeded in getting her head fairly above the water, and struck out again for the steamer. | It was a hard struggle, for the stout swimmer was - greatly impeded by his own clothing. But the small boat he had left having now got its load of people all upon the steamer’s deck, was just turning to come to him, with the girl’s father in the stern. The swimmer was breasting it bravely, holding the girl’s head above the waves, frequently at the cost of his own head going under for the moment. On came the boat, now driven wildly in the fran- tic efforts of the seamen to reach them before both should sink. Walter Hammond could no longer make any headway, he could only sustain his burthen and his own head above the waves by his steady but very Gomicbooks co