the rope which was made fast round his body, he dashed in after it, and in a moment was buffetting with the water; rising with the hills, falling with the valleys, lost beneath the foam; then drawn again to land. They hauled in hastily.. He was hurt. I saw blood on his 'face, from where I stood; but he took no thought of that. He seemed hurriedly to give them some directions for leaving him more free-or so I judged from the motion of his arm-and was gone as before. And now he made for the wreck, rising with the hills, falling with the valleys, lost beneath the rugged foam, borne in towards the shore, borne on towards the ship, striving hard and valiantly. The distance was nothing, but the power of the sea and wind made the strife deadly. At length he neared the wreck. He was so near, that with one more of his vigorous strokes he would be clinging to it,— when, a high, green, vast hill-side of water, moving on shoreward, from beyond the ship, he seemed to leap up into it with a mighty bound, and the ship was gone! Some eddying fragments I saw in the sea, as if a mere cask had been broken, in running to the spot where they were hauling in. Consternation was in every face. They drew him to my very feet —insensible—dead. He was carried to the nearest house; and, no one preventing me now, I remained near him, busy, while every means of restoration were tried; but he had been beaten to death by the great wave, and his generous heart was stilled for ever. < Charles Dickens, XI. HEROES. 1.-Harry Hotspur.1 King Henry IV. For all the world As thou 2 art to this hour was Richard then Against renowned Douglas! whose high deeds, And military title capital Through all the kingdoms that acknowledge Christ: Discomfited great Douglas, ta'en him once, And shake the peace and safety of our throne. And what say you to this? Percy, Northumberland, The Archbishop's grace of York, Douglas, Mortimer, Capitulate against us and are up. But wherefore do I tell these news to thee? Why, Harry, do I tell thee of my foes, II.--Henry, Prince of Wales.1 Hotspur. He shall be welcome too. Where is his son, The nimble-footed madcap Prince of Wales, And his comrades, that daff'd 2 the world aside, Vernon. All furnish'd, all in arms; All plumed like estridges that with the wind As full of spirit as the month of May, And witch the world with noble horsemanship. III.-The Duke of York.1 K. Henry. Well have we done, thrice valiant countrymen: But all's not done; yet keep the French the field. Exeter. The Duke of York commends him to your majesty. K. Hen. Lives he, good uncle? thrice within this hour I saw him down; thrice up again, and fighting; From helmet to the spur all blood he was. Exe. In which array, brave soldier, doth he lie, Larding the plain; and by his bloody side, Yoke-fellow to his honour-owing wounds, The noble Earl of Suffolk also lies. Suffolk first died: and York, all haggled over, 3 So did he turn and over Suffolk's neck He threw his wounded arm and kiss'd his lips; The pretty and sweet manner of it forced Those waters from me which I would have stopp'd; And all my mother came into mine eyes K. Hen. I blame you not; For, hearing this, I must perforce compound IV.-Brutus.1 Antony. This was the noblest Roman of them all: All the conspirators save only he Did that they did in envy of great Cæsar; So mix'd in him that Nature might stand up First Senator. V.-Coriolanus.1 Sit, Coriolanus; never shame to hear What you have nobly done. Coriolanus. Your honours' pardon: I had rather have my wounds to heal again Than hear say how I got them. Brutus. My words disbench'd2 you not. Cor. Sir, I hope No, sir: yet oft, When blows have made me stay, I fled from words. Menenius. Pray now, sit down. Cor. I had rather have one scratch my head i' the sun When the alarum 3 were struck than idly sit To hear my nothings monster'd. Men. [Exit. Masters of the people, Your multiplying spawn how can he flatter That's thousand to one good one when you now see |