There they amused themselves awhile, racing, skating backward, and cutting all sorts of fanciful figures upon the ice, until George gave the word, "Now for the island!" and with loud shouts they shot out together upon the river, all but James.
"I must leave you now," he said.
"Oh, James, don't!" cried several at once.
"Now, see here, James," said George; "what's the use of being so set? Go down with us this time."
"Father said, 'Don't go on the river.'"
"Well, as to that, you've been on the river two or three times. Look at your marks."
James now saw that, in the excitement of their sport, he had repeatedly rushed out of the canal quite across the channel of the river. He wanted to go with the boys. He didn't really think there was much danger, and the discovery that he had already unwittingly broken his father's command, did not help him in his hour of weakness and temptation. The boys all clamoured for him to join them. James slowly glided out of the canal, stood still a moment, and the tempter prevailed.
"Well, I'll go down this once—mind you, only once," and he darted like an arrow to the front, for he was the best skater in the company, and soon was far in advance of the rest.
Alas! none of the boys knew of the murderous "breathing-hole" which had opened that day in the ice in the channel, and now lay right in James's path, waiting to receive him; and the first notice they had of its existence was a despairing cry of terror from him as he plunged in.
All was confusion among the boys; but George, more self-possessed than the others, hurried to the shore, and, shouting cheerily, "Hold on, Jamie! I'll help you out," broke off the limb of a tree, as large and long as he could handle, brought it on, and tried, by carefully creeping towards James, to put it within his reach. But the current was strong; the water was bitterly cold; and James, who had been urging his friend to make haste, now began to lose his strength and become benumbed, and before the limb came within his grasp, he said, faintly, "Oh, George, I can't hold on any longer! Ask father—to forgive——" and went down with the tide.