The sport was at its height, the sliding was at the quickest, the laughter was at the loudest, when a sharp smart crack was heard.There was a quick rush towards the bank, a wild scream from the ladies, and a shout from Mr.Tupman.A large mass of ice disappeared; the water bubbled up over it; Mr.Pickwick's hat, gloves, and handkerchief were floating on the surface;and this was all of Mr.Pickwick that anybody could see.
Dismay and anguish were depicted on every countenance, the males turned pale, and the females fainted, Mr.Snodgrass and Mr.Winkle grasped each other by the hand, and gazed at the spot where their leader had gone down, with frenzied eagerness: while Mr.Tupman, by way of rendering the promptest assistance, and at the same time conveying to any persons who might be within hearing, the clearest possible notion of the catastrophe, ran off across the country at his utmost speed, screaming "Fire!" with all his might.
It was at this moment, when old Wardle and Sam Weller were approaching the hole with cautious steps, and Mr.Benjamin Allen was holding a hurried consultation with Mr.Bob Sawyer, on the advisability of bleeding the company generally, as an improving little bit of professional practice--it was at this very moment, that a face, head, and shoulders, emerged from beneath the water, and disclosed the features and spectacles of Mr.Pickwick.
"Keep yourself up for an instant--for only one instant!" bawled Mr.
Snodgrass.
"Yes, do; let me implore you--for my sake!" roared Mr.Winkle, deeply affected.The adjuration was rather unnecessary; the probability being, that if Mr.Pickwick had declined to keep himself up for anybody else's sake, it would have occurred to him that he might as well do so, for his own.
"Do you feel the bottom there, old fellow?" said Wardle.
"Yes, certainly," replied Mr.Pickwick, wringing the water from his head and face, and gasping for breath."I fell upon my back.I couldn't get on my feet at first."The clay upon so much of Mr.Pickwick's coat as was yet visible, bore testimony to the accuracy of this statement; and as the fears of the spectators were still further relieved by the fat boy's suddenly recollecting that the water was nowhere more than five feet deep, prodigies of valour were performed to get him out.After a vast quantity of splashing, and cracking, and struggling, Mr.Pickwick was at length fairly extricated from his unpleasant position, and once more stood on dry land.
"Oh, he'll catch his death of cold," said Emily.
"Dear old thing!" said Arabella."Let me wrap this shawl round you, Mr.Pickwick.""Ah, that's the best thing you can do," said Wardle; "and when you've got it on, run home as fast as your legs can carry you, and jump into bed directly."A dozen shawls were offered on the instant.Three or four of the thickest having been selected, Mr.Pickwick was wrapped up, and started off, under the guidance of Mr.Weller: presenting the singular phenomenon of an elderly gentleman, dripping wet, and without a hat, with his arms bound down to his sides, skimming over the ground, without any clearly defined purpose, at the rate of six good English miles an hour.