Rose and Aunt Agathe slid down the tiles and placed themselves beside the
young girls. At this moment I looked toward the church. Aimee was still in
the same place. She was leaning now against a chimney, holding her children
up at arm's length, for the water was to her waist.

"Don't grieve, grandfather," said Gaspard. "We will take her off on the way."

Pierre and Jacques were already on the raft, so I jumped on. Gaspard was the
last one aboard. He gave us poles that he had prepared and that were to serve
us as oars. He had a very long one that he used with great skill. We let him
do all the commanding. At an order from him, we braced our poles against the
tiles to put out into the stream. But it seemed as if the raft was attached to
the roof. In spite of all our efforts, we could not budge it. At each new
effort the current swung us violently against the house. And it was a dangerous
manoeuvre, for the shock threatened to break up the planks composing the raft.

So once again we were made to feel our helplessness. We had thought ourselves
saved, and we were still at the mercy of the river. I even regretted that the
women were not on the roof; for, every minute, I expected to see them
precipitated into the boiling torrent. But when I suggested regaining our
refuge they all cried:

"No, no! Let us try again! Better die here!"

Gaspard no longer laughed. We renewed our efforts, bending to our poles with
redoubled energy. Pierre then had the idea to climb up on the roof and draw
us, by means of a rope, towards the left. He was thus able to draw us out of
the current. Then, when he again jumped upon the raft, a few thrusts of our
poles sent us out into the open. But Gaspard recalled the promise he had made
me to stop for our poor Aimee, whose plaintive moans had never ceased. For that