“I’ll get out myself,” said Samivel, “if I can find a place to fasten the boat to.  I can’t run her ashore here, and the current is strong.”

“Don’t you leave the boat,” said I, for the thought of Jone and me drifting off and coming without him to one of those rapids sent a shudder through me; and as the stern of the boat where I sat was close to the shore I jumped with Jone’s stick in my hand before either of them could hinder me.  I was so afraid that Jone would do it that I was very quick about it.

The minute I left the boat Jone got ready to come after me, for he had no notion of letting me be on shore by myself, but the boat had drifted off a little, and old Samivel said: 

“That is a pretty steep bank to get up with the rheumatism on you.  I’ll take you a little farther down, where I can ground the boat, and you can get off more steadier.”

But this letter is getting as long as the River Wye itself, and I must stop it.

Letter Number Fifteen

BELL HOTEL, GLOUCESTER

As soon as I jumped on shore, as I told you in my last, and had taken a good grip on Jone’s heavy stick, I went for those hogs, for I wanted to drive them off before Jone came ashore, for I didn’t want him to think he must come.

I have driven hogs and cows out of lots and yards often enough, as you know yourself, madam, so I just stepped up to the biggest of them and hit him a whack across the head as he was rubbing his nose in among some papers with bits of landscapes on them, as was enough to make him give up studying art for the rest of his life; but would you believe it, madam, instead of running away he just made a bolt at me, and gave me such a push with his head and shoulders he nearly knocked me over?  I never was so astonished, for they looked like hogs that you might think could be chased out of a yard by a boy.  But I gave the fellow another crack on the back, which he didn’t seem to notice, but just turned again to give me another push, and at the same minute the two others stopped rooting among the paint-boxes and came grunting at me.

For the first time in my life I was frightened by hogs.  I struck at them as hard as I could, and before I knew what I was about I flung down the stick, made a rush for that gate, and was on top of it in no time, in company with the three other young women that was sitting there already.

“Really,” said the one next to me, “I fancied you was going to be gored to atoms before our eyes.  Whatever made you go to those nasty beasts?”

I looked at her quite severe, getting my feet well up out of reach of the hogs if they should come near us.

“I saw you was in trouble, miss, and I came to help you.  My husband wanted to come, but he has the rheumatism and I wouldn’t let him.”

The other two young women looked at me as well as they could around the one that was near me, and the one that was farthest off said: