I rose to the top, sputtering, and flung out my arms in the
attempt to swim--or, rather, to keep afloat--and was overjoyed to
find my arms and legs answer to the call of the brain.
About me was blackest night and utter silence, save a low,
unbroken murmur, unlike any other sound, hardly to be heard. It
was in my effort to account for it that I first became aware of
the fact that the water was a stream, and a moving one--moving
with incredible swiftness, smooth and all but silent. As soon as
I became convinced of this I gave up all attempt to swim, and
satisfied myself with keeping my head above the surface and
drifting with the current.
Then I thought of Harry, and called his name aloud many times.
The reverberations throughout the cave were as the report of a
thousand cannon; but there was no response.
The echoes became fainter and fainter and died away, and again
all was silence and impenetrable night, while I battled with the
strong suction of the unseen current, which was growing swifter
and swifter, and felt my strength begin to leave me.
Terror, too, began to call to me as the long minutes passed
endlessly by. I thought, "If I could only see!" and strained my
eyes in the effort till I was forced to close them from the dizzy
pain.
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