THE WRECK.

33

that she cannot be saved, but begs her husbandto cut her throat lest the fire should reach herand she be burned to death. She is, however,rescued and the whole family is safe. A gentle-man gets out but finds that his limbs will notobey his will, but sink beneath his weight,and he is obliged to crawl on hands and kneesto a place of safety. After all others have escaped,something attracts the attention of those on thebank, as if a coat were flapping in the wind.Next a man appears as if attempting to arise,and then the man emerges from the region ofthe flames, and is helped to the shore by others.

Many became so exhausted and faint that theyfell senseless upon the snow and were drawn byothers to a place of safety. It is even thoughtthat some were so bewildered that they wanderedinto the broken places in the ice and weredrowned.

It was but a very few minutes before all whocould, had escaped and the rest were still strug-gling to get out or were already dead.