It was obvious that Orc wasn't going to come out on his own and Ian couldn't just leave him there. Even though the water wasn't very deep, it was enough that Orc could drown in it, especially when he was drunk.

So Ian took off his shoes and socks and rolled up his trousers. He hoped there was nothing in the river that was going to bite him. The water was freezing, he found, when he stepped into it and he gasped as his feet went numb.

"You can't possibly be comfortable in here." The trouble was that even though Ian was now in the river with Orc, he wasn't strong enough to pull him out.