He seized them in his own and held them firm, his lips quivering.
"Oh, Jack!" she murmured brokenly, fighting for her self-control. "Oh, Jack!"
Nobody who has not experienced it can understand how a sudden unexpected release from long nerve-strain affects one.
Many are the stories of men rescued when hope of rescue had been almost abandoned, and of their strange behaviour on realising that they were saved.
One hears of big, strong men crying like babes and hugging each other; of men behaving as if their brains had been taken from them by the shock; who knew not what they did, all control being lost for a few wild minutes, of which they had no recollection whatever afterwards.
Thus, now that relief had come to Loyola's overstrained nerves, it was almost too severe a shock, and the brave woman felt herself on the verge of hysteria.
Tighter and tighter Jack gripped her hands as he watched her struggles against a breakdown.
"Bite on it, Lolie! Be brave!" he whispered hoarsely.
"Dagoman put um hellum down!" The utterance came from aft in the Kanaka's soft voice.