said, and yet all was perfectly quiet. The roaring of the water in his ears had ceased.
They groped about for a dry spot, and sat down together on a stone. Otto clasped the poor girl in his arms, and on his hands he felt her warm tears fall.
Thus they sat a long time. Anna had fallen into a kind of swoon, her head resting against Otto's shoulder, her wet locks streaming over his hands. He laid his burning cheeks against her head.
"Oh, forgive me, my own darling!" he murmured. "If you were to pass away like this I would throw myself into the torrent with your body in my arms."
Presently, bringing out his tinder-box, he struck a light, and slowly and cautiously began to climb down the rocks. He wished to find out what had become of the river, since all was now so still. As he stood there in the mud, he felt as though his feet rested upon crawling reptiles, and a cold shudder ran through him. At last he reached the spot where the boat was still stuck fast between the rocks, and, kindling his light afresh, gazed into the deep and shining waters.
Suddenly he saw upon the waves a glittering line—a kind of slab with little stars upon it, and steeped in a bluish light, almost like an imitation of the starry heavens. I his slab floated backwards and forwards, now approaching, now receding. Behind it seemed to be a long, thin object, like a snake. Nothing more could he distinguish.
A sudden hopeful thought flashed across the young man's mind. He stepped out into the water up to his thighs, and stretched out his hand to reach the shining object.
What he grasped was a block of wood, having a rope attached to it.
With both hands he pulled the heavy block of wood into the boat, and passed the end of the rope through the boat's iron ring to keep it firm. All this he did in a tumult of delight not to be described in words. Then he rushed, clambering and stumbling over the rocks, to Anna, shook her and roused her, crying with all the strength of his hoarse voice that she was to come with him directly; that they were saved at last.
When they got down to the boat again it had already begun to move from the rock. By the fading light of the still burning tinder, and only just in the nick of time, they sprang into the boat, half-filled with water as it was, which, fastened firmly to the block of wood and highly stretched rope, slowly and heavily moved away.
"He stretched out his hand to reach the shining object."
For a while they were passing through smooth water under the overhanging rocks; then they reached the dreadful place beneath the cliffs where the waves were running high.
Then the two rescued from such peril covered their eyes with their hands. At last they were standing on dry ground, bathed in the bright, warm rays of the shining, sunny day!
On both banks of the river, close beside the Dragon's Hole, a great crowd of people had assembled. Many had climbed up on the rocks, to be the first to see the boat when it appeared. And now all was explained.
The evening before some fishermen had seen the paddle floating, and as soon as the young people were missed it was easily guessed what had happened to them. The whole night long hundreds of people were up and down along the banks of the river searching for the missing ones, till finally it was clear to all that they must have drifted into the Dragon's Hole.
