"Lower away," cried Simon impatiently.
The ropes were loosened, and the boat began to move. Simon found the end of his hat-guard and fastened it to a button.
A shout from Joachim, and Simon answers from below; he is over the edge now, and neither can see the other. Simon, on his dignity, answers the hails from above more and more briefly, as if making light of such a trifle; at last no answer comes at all. Marcelius, having nothing to do, stands a little way off.
"He must be midway by now," says Joachim. "A good lad enough, for sure." Then comes a hail from far below. A new sort of hail, that the men are all unused to hear: instead of "Avast heaving—she'll do," comes a cry, "Au, au," and a heavy jerking of the signal line. Those above take it to mean "Haul up a bit," and Joachim and his men start hauling. Then, sharp and piercing comes a scream from out of the depths, and a thumping of the boat against the rocky walls; as if the island itself were coughing all at once.
All turned pale; the ropes hung suddenly slack. Then a confusion of cries and questioning; "Lower a bit," says Joachim, and then again "Haul." But all know it is to little purpose now; the boat is empty; Simon has upset it and himself been dashed into the sea.
Then suddenly the church bells from Kirkeoen over the water—ringing Christmas in. A sorry Christmas it will be!
But Frederikke was thoughtful and kindly as ever; she went up to Marcelius, and said: "Heaven forgive me for the sin, but I'm glad it was not you—What are you standing about up here for? Why don't you go down to the south side and get out a boat to look for him?"
All saw that she was right, and there was a hurrying of men across to the other side. Only Joachim, the honest old boat-builder, stayed behind.
II
"And I can't stand here holding her up for ever," thought Joachim to himself. "Either I'll have to haul up again, and that's more than I can alone, or let her down to the water." He thought it over soundly for yet a while, then he let go.
But now a strange thing happened: the rope ran out for a bare
