CHAPTER VIII.
A SWIM FOR LIFE.
"We're in for it now!" said Jimmy in a voice which trembled in spiteof himself. And indeed it looked bad for the four boys, trapped on abarren rock soon to be covered by the swiftly rising tide. "It's allmy fault," he continued. "I thought I tied her fast. I'm going to bethe means of drowning all of us. Oh, dear! Oh, dear!"
Peters was in a state of collapse. He had sunk down on a bouldertoo indifferent to notice that his feet were in the water. What didit matter now? They had no chance for their lives. "Let's call forhelp," he cried, as none of the boys had moved, and raising his voicehe shrieked: "Help! Help!"
Out there the wind which was blowing in from the sea, bearing with itlittle wisps of night fog, carried his words away. There was not evena cheering echo. Apparently the others were too much discouraged atthe outlook even to cry for help. In the silence that followed eachof the boys could hear his heart beat above the lapping of the waters.
Peters turned suddenly and savagely on Frank: "Well, what are yougoing to do, stand there like a statue and see us all drown? Oh, dosomething!" he wailed.
Frank was standing as rigidly as a statue, indeed. He was lookingout over the dark stretch of tossing water. His face was toward theshore. He had hardly heard Peters' last cry for help, so intently washe gazing and deliberating.
"There's only one way," he said at last, turning to Jimmy.
"And what's that?" was the query.
"Swim it," replied Frank steadily.
Even Jimmy started back appalled, and Peters, who was steppingnervously around, sank again on the rocks, weak at the verysuggestion.
"It must be a mile," said Jimmy.
"Yes," said Frank, measuring the distance to the lights, whichtwinkled along shore like far-off stars, "it is more than that. Thebay curves well in off Seawall."
"It is a chance," said Jimmy, "but a slim one."
"Oh, I can't do it," shrieked Peters. "We might as well stay here anddrown. It would be better than drowning out there in the dark."
"Some one might pick us up," suggested Jimmy, "or perhaps the _BlackDuck_ will be sighted and give the alarm." The offering was not avery hopeful one, and Jimmy's tone was not even as hopeful as theoffering.
Frank shook his head. "It's a slim chance, as you said," he repliedslowly, "and meantime the water is creeping up here very fast. Look,that big boulder is out of sight now under the tide. No, there'snothing but swim for it."
Peters jumped up in a frenzy. "I tell you I won't do it. I'll stayhere and drown. I won't try to swim it. If you had had any sense youwould have tied that boat securely. You'll be the cause of my death."Peters was wild with fear.
"Would you have been any better off if we hadn't come?" said Frank,turning sharply on his companion. "Anyway, I didn't mean to ask youto swim ashore," he added in a milder tone; "I meant I would swim itmyself."
"And leave us here to drown?" whined Peters.
"No, I'll try it to save you. I'll go for help."
"You mustn't, Frank," exclaimed Jimmy, coming up to him and takinghold of his shoulder. "It would be sure death."
"Well, it's sure death to stay here, isn't it?" said Frank. "The tideis coming in like a racehorse and even as we are talking about it thewater is creeping up. I'll go now."
"We'll go together," said Jimmy determinedly. "I will not let you goalone."
"What, and leave us here?" cried Peters.
"For goodness sake, what do you expect? You won't swim and you don'twant us to swim. Don't you see, you coward, that it's the only chancewe have?" Jimmy was all out of patience with this boy for whosesafety they had placed themselves in such a plight. "Keep a stiffupper lip and we'll have some one back here in a jiffy."
Peters seemed not to hear. He sat down again plainly sobbing."_You'll_ stay with me, Bates," he blurted out. "Don't you leave me."
"I couldn't if I wanted to," said that silent boy. "I couldn't makehalf the distance. I never swam a mile in my life."
"All right, then," said Jimmy. "You two go onto the highest point ofthis rock, and every now and then make all the noise you can on thechance that some one might hear you," and he began stripping offwhat few clothes he had on.
"Hold on," said Frank. "This is my job, Jimmy. There's no use of bothof us trying to swim it. You stay here----" He got no further.
"What do you take me for?" burst out Jimmy indignantly. "I'm goingwith you and that settles it. We might be able to help each other. Ican't do anything waiting here, and I might be of some help to you.Let's not spend any more time arguing about it. I'm ready."
He was, as he said, ready. And be it known that Frank, while he waswilling to undertake the peril of the trip alone, felt better thathis friend and tried companion would be with him through the terrorsof the water. He did not argue any more about it, but stretched outhis hand in the darkness, and the two boys clasped hands in a long,firm grasp.
"All right, here we go!" said Frank. "Good-by, Peters; keep yourcourage up and stick to the highest part of the rock."
Peters merely whimpered and Bates said not a word.
It was a strange sight to see there in the gloom, that of our twoheroes stripped to the skin, their bodies showing white in contrastto the black rock and the still blacker water. Free of all hamperingclothing, they were ready for the trial of strength against thethreatening monster--the sea.
Quickly they waded out on the shelving rock, gasping as the coldwater struck them with its chill. Another step and they were in deepwater and struck out bravely for the far-distant shore.
"Let's keep close together," said Frank, as they were caught by thefull force of the tide and whipped away from the rock. "If we getseparated we will never get together again."
Jimmy, at this, swam up close to Frank, and elbow to elbow the boysdrove ahead. The waves were running high but were not white-capped,which was a most fortunate thing for the swimmers, for the tide andthe wind were traveling in the same direction. Side by side theyswam, climbing up the long black slopes and slipping down easily intothe trough between the waves, but making good progress. Their whitearms swung rhythmically above the water.
"It's like coasting," said Jimmy, "only it's more exciting."
"Yes, it's great fun," said Frank, but it was not the heartiestresponse in the world. "Seems like when we go down in the hollowsthat we'd never come up again. And it seems as if we were goingbackwards. Do you feel that way?"
"Yes," said Jimmy; "there's nothing to gauge yourself by, but,"casting an eye over his shoulder, "there's nothing to be seen of theisland. I guess we are going ahead all right."
Nothing further was said for a time, the boys saving their breath formore important work. With every ounce of strength in their sturdyyoung bodies they forged ahead, now down "in the hollows," as Frankhad called them, with the water towering above them and not a lightvisible but the light of the stars over their heads; now up on thecrest of a wave where for an instant they caught the twinkle of theshore lights and steered for them, heartened by the sight.
"Look, Jimmy," said Frank, "that big light over there to the leftmust be on Seawall Pier. Take a look at it when you come up on thenext wave. Isn't it?" as Jimmy slid up the slope to the top.
"I guess it is," sputtered the latter who, in the endeavor to see,had been met with the slap of a little wavelet which filled hisnose and eyes with salt water. "It ought to be about there if ourbearings are right."
"Well, we'll make for it," said Frank, "and we must keep to the leftall the time, for the pull of the tide will take us away up the coastif we don't look out. What's the matter?"
Frank had heard a splash and a gurgle from Jimmy, and then asuccession of rapid strokes on the water. "What's wrong?" he shouted,as he got no answer.
Frank stopped swimming and began to tread water. His heart was in histhroat. Something had happened.
"What's the matter?" he cried out again, and his voice rang with astrange appeal over that waste of water.
"Gee
whiz!" said Jimmy, "that was awful. It nearly scared me todeath."
"What nearly scared you to death?" queried Frank, relieved to hearhis companion's natural tone in spite of the shake in it. "Somethingbite you?"
"No," replied Jimmy, after he recovered his breath, "but I ran my armright through a big jelly fish that was probably lying just under thesurface of the water."
"Horrors!" said Frank, who hated the cold, slimy, slippery thingseven in daylight. How much worse it would be, he thought, to run intoone in the pitch darkness of night!
Jimmy now swam up. "I'm all right again, but for a minute I thoughtI was going to die. I was swimming the overhand when, as I drove myunder-hand ahead, I stuck it right through the body of this nasty,slimy thing. It slipped right up to my shoulder and stuck there. Ithought sure something had me by the arm, and I stopped swimming andsank." Jimmy, at the memory of it, raised his arms and smote themupon the water, throwing up a shower of spray. The action relievedhis nerves.
"Don't do it again, please," said Frank. "Look ahead there, just tothe right of the Pier light! I think that's a light in our window! Iwonder if mother set it there for me. We don't seem any nearer, dowe?"
"Maybe we're being carried out to sea," said Jimmy, but he was sorrythe next minute that he had said it. Frank made no answer. He wasthinking of the comfortable sitting room at Seawall, and wonderingif his father and mother were hovering anxiously around there, or onthe veranda looking seaward. Perhaps they might be even now down atthe end of the Pier. Yes, they would be down at the Pier waiting. Orperhaps they were getting searchers to scour the bay for them. Butwould they find them, or would the sea next morning toss up on theshore two white bodies limp and bedraggled?
"I'm doing the best I can, mother," Frank whispered to himself, ason the wave crest he caught a fleeting glimpse of the lights, andthe water in his eyes was not all from the wave top that at thatmoment went over him. He wondered about the two boys who had beenleft behind. How far had the water gained on their little island ofrock? If he and Jimmy got to land and gave the warning, was therestill time to get back and save them from the sea that must be evennow creeping up on their feet? He shuddered in spite of himself.It was bad enough to be out here struggling with the sea, but itwas something to do. It would be a hundred times worse back therewaiting, waiting, watching the tide creep nearer and nearer to thelast refuge on the highest point of the rock. He struck out moredeterminedly with the thought of the lone watchers in his mind. Hemust save them.