“Then came my turn. My bearer advanced to the head of the bridge, and had already placed one foot upon it, when, wildly furious at the appalling prospect before me, I writhed out of his arms. For an instant I had some mad hope of making a run for it, but before I could take a step the brute had me again. Recklessly I struggled, determined that I would not be taken across that abyss, to meet a terrible death at the hands of these wolfish creatures. Far rather leap into the depths, and perish in the dark waters below! “But the creature had a grip like a Polar bear. Struggle as I would, I could not again escape from his arms, and, at length, with my ribs almost cracking beneath the strain, I ceased my efforts and lay passive. With a hideous chuckle, which made me long to shoot him, he raised me again, and began the passage of the bridge. Still as death I lay until he had almost reached the centre. Then, when his grip was somewhat relaxed, and all his efforts were centred upon keeping his balance, I kicked out strongly. The sudden move, as I had intended it should, completely destroyed our equilibrium. The bridge seemed to sway from beneath us, and we hurtled into space. “I remember my captor relaxing his grip of my body to make a desperate clutch at the swinging ropes; a terrible fall which appeared almost endless in duration; the roaring of many waters; then came a shock, which knocked me senseless for the second time since leaving the boat. But I am wearying you with my yarn?” “Nothing of the kind,” returned Wilson eagerly; “your tale’s every bit as good as a book!” “To resume, then,” continued the inventor. “The next thing I recollect is awaking from my swoon on the sandy beach at the mouth of the river. How it came about that I was not drowned amid the rushing waters I cannot make out, even now. It seems incredible that I should have been carried, helpless as I was, through the foaming rapids of the gorge, and washed safely ashore at the river-mouth. Yet the fact remains. “For some considerable time I lay, drenched and thoroughly exhausted, upon the sand; then, when my strength had returned in some measure, I rose, and, though still very faint, made my way along the beach, knowing that by following the coastline I must, sooner or later, come across the _Seal._ As my blood began to circulate more briskly my faintness vanished, and soon I felt as well as ever. “Save for the discomfort of my wet clothes, I really believe I should have enjoyed my tramp. The thought that I had succeeded in escaping from the clutches of the brutes who had captured me gave me great satisfaction. I will hurry on, I thought, and, if Seymour has returned, we will get up a rescue party at once. Then it will not be long before we have Mervyn out of the power of these wolfish savages. You see, I had forgotten that a considerable time must have elapsed since my fall; that I must have lain unconscious for many hours.