“Heavens!” cried Henri, “it is Remy!” And without calculating the danger of the additional weight, he seized him by his sleeve, drew him up, and enabled him to breath freely.  But the exhausted horse now sank in the water to its neck, then to its eyes, and finally disappeared altogether.

“We must die,” murmured Henri.  “Madame, my life and soul belonged to you.”

As he spoke, he felt Remy slip from him, and he no longer tried to retain him—­it was useless.  His only care was to sustain Diana above the water, that she at least, might die the last, and that he might be able to say to himself, in his last moments, that he had done his utmost to save her.  All at once, a joyful cry sounded at his side; he turned, and saw Remy, who had found a boat, which had belonged to the little house where they had taken shelter, and which the water had carried away.  Remy, who had regained his strength, thanks to Henri’s assistance, had seized it as it floated past.  The oars were tied to it, and an iron hook lay in the bottom.  He held out the hook to Henri, who seized it, and drawing Diana with him, raised her over his shoulders, and passed her to Remy, and then climbed in himself.  The first rays of the rising sun showed them the plains inundated, and the boat swimming like an atom on that ocean covered with wrecks.  Toward the left rose a little hill, completely surrounded by water, looking like an island in the midst of the sea.  Henri took the oars and rowed toward it, while Remy, with the boat-hook, occupied himself in keeping off the beams and wrecks which might have struck against them.  Thanks to Henri’s strength and Remy’s skill, they reached, or, rather, were thrown against, the hill.  Remy jumped out, and, seizing the chain, drew the boat toward him; Diana, rising alone, followed him, and then Henri, who drew up the boat and seated himself a little way from them.  They were saved from the most menacing danger, for the inundation, however strong, could never reach to the summit of the hill.  Below them they could see that great angry waste of waters, which seemed inferior in power only to God himself; and, by the increasing light, they perceived that it was covered with the corpses of French soldiers.

Remy had a wound in his shoulder, where a floating beam had struck against him; but Diana, thanks to Henri’s protection, was free from all injury, although she was cold and wet.  At last they noticed in the horizon, on the eastern side, something like fires burning on a height which the water could not reach.  As well as they could judge, they were about a league off.  Remy advanced to the point of the hill, and said that he believed he saw a jetty advancing in a direct line toward the fires.  But they could see nothing clearly, and knew not well where they were, for though day was dawning, it came cloudily and full of fog; had it been clear and under a pure sky, they might have seen the town of Mechlin, from which they were not more than two leagues distant.