py waves dashed
against him. Gasping, he paused an instant, brushed one arm against his
dripping face and looked about him. For a moment nothing met his anxious
gaze. Then a darker spot on the darkening water appeared a dozen yards
away and Tom went on desperately, panic-stricken for fear that when he
reached it it would prove to be only a bit of driftwood.

[Illustration: It was Steve, Steve on his back, with only his head and
shoulders above the water]

But it wasn't. It was Steve, Steve on his back, with only his head and
shoulders above the water, eyes closed in a dead-white face and his arms
weakly moving now and then as though in an unconscious endeavour to keep
the helpless body afloat. A great wave of relief and joy almost stopped
Tom's heart for an instant. Then his hand went out and caught one of
Steve's wrists.

"It's all right, Steve," he gasped weakly. "Don't grab me. They're
coming with the boat."

There was no reply from Steve, and Tom, pulling the arm over his
shoulder, as he had seen Steve himself do so many times in the tank when
illustrating the way to rescue a drowning person, felt the weight of the
inert form on his back as he turned and strove to swim slowly back
toward the cove. To swim with one arm, even to keep himself afloat so,
was no light task for Tom, and now, with the weight of Steve's body
bearing him down, he found the struggle too much for him. He
relinquished all attempts to swim and centred his efforts in keeping
afloat. If only Norton and the rest would come! He listened. There was a
splashing somewhere nearby, but it was too dark now to see a dozen feet
away. Tom drew all the breath he could find into his lungs and let it
out in a weak shout.

"Help!" he gasped. "Here!"

Then there was an answering hail from close by, a mighty churning of the
water and a dim form plunged alongside.

"Have you got him?" cried Norton. "Give him to me, Hall. Hath! Over
here!"

Tom didn't relinquish quite all his burden, though. He still had one of
Steve's arms around his neck when, a minute later, Marvin and Williams
having reached them meanwhile, the rowboat appeared out of the darkness.
It was no light task to get Steve into the boat, but it was accomplished
somehow, and then, Tom dragging astern, hands clutching the gunwale
grimly, and the others, too, claiming at least partial support from the
boat, the rescuers turned shoreward. Wisely, Churchill, who handled the
oar, headed the boat to