Page 249 - for-the-term-of-his-natural-life

in his favour. The woman and child would bear witness to
his tenderness and skill, and plead for him. As he had said,
the convict deserved a pardon. The mean, bad man, burn-
ing with wounded vanity and undefined jealousy, waited for
some method to suggest itself, by which he might claim the
credit of the escape, and snatch from the prisoner, who had
dared to rival him, the last hope of freedom.
Rufus Dawes, drifting with the current, had allowed
himself to coast along the eastern side of the harbour until
the Pilot Station appeared in view on the opposite shore. By
this time it was nearly seven o’clock. He landed at a sandy
cove, and drawing up his raft, proceeded to unpack from
among his garments a piece of damper. Having eaten spar-
ingly, and dried himself in the sun, he replaced the remains
of his breakfast, and pushed his floats again into the water.
The Pilot Station lay some distance below him, on the op-
posite shore. He had purposely made his second start from
a point which would give him this advantage of position;
for had he attempted to paddle across at right angles, the
strength of the current would have swept him out to sea.
Weak as he was, he several times nearly lost his hold on the
reeds. The clumsy bundle presenting too great a broadside
to the stream, whirled round and round, and was once or
twice nearly sucked under. At length, however, breathless
and exhausted, he gained the opposite bank, half a mile be-
low the point he had attempted to make, and carrying his
floats out of reach of the tide, made off across the hill to the
Pilot Station.
Arrived there about midday, he set to work to lay his

For the Term of His Natural Life