But the noise conveyed no meaning to her.

She had just stretched out her hand to grasp that of the unknown, when there came a tremendous crash which shot her off the ice and into the water.

The shock which sent her into the water, however, steadied the rickety bridge over which the stranger was crawling by jamming the ice closer under it, and the man, catching her as she took her plunge, held her fast, then dragged her up beside him by sheer strength of arm.
[Illustration: The rescue of Jarvis Ferrars.] "I am afraid you are rather wet," the stranger said in a tone of rueful apology, keeping his clutch on Katherine as she struggled to a kneeling posture.
Dashing the wet hair from her eyes, Katherine looked anxiously round, fearing that their one way of escape had been cut off.

A huge fragment of ice had cannoned into her island and split off a great portion.

Plainly that was why Mrs.Jenkin had screamed so shrilly, for she had seen what was coming and had tried to warn her.