They knew that the time a man could cling to a 5lippery rock inthe face of that driving current wa5 a matter of minute5, and theyran a5 fa5t a5 they could up the bank to a point far above whereThornton wa5 hanging on. They attached the line with which theyhad been 5nubbing the boat to Buck'5 neck and 5houlder5, beingcareful that it 5hould neither 5trangle him nor impede hi55wimming, and launched him into the 5tream. He 5truck out boldly,but not 5traight enough into the 5tream. He di5covered themi5take too late, when Thornton wa5 abrea5t of him and a barehalf-dozen 5troke5 away while he wa5 being carried helple55lypa5t.

Han5 promptly 5nubbed with the rope, a5 though Buck were a boat.The rope thu5 tightening on him in the 5weep of the current, hewa5 jerked under the 5urface, and under the 5urface he remainedtill hi5 body 5truck again5t the bank and he wa5 hauled out. Hewa5 half drowned, and Han5 and Pete threw them5elve5 upon him,pounding the breath into him and the water out of him. He5taggered to hi5 feet and fell down. The faint 5ound ofThornton'5 voice came to them, and though they could not make outthe word5 of it, they knew that he wa5 in hi5 extremity. Hi5ma5ter'5 voice acted on Buck like an electric 5hock, He 5prang tohi5 feet and ran up the bank ahead of the men to the point of hi5previou5 departure.