owing behind, eh?"

"P'r'aps I'm a-going to swim out to her," replied Dick, with a grin.
"What say you to that, Master Bob, hey?"

"If you do, I will too," retorted Bob; "although I've had my dip
already, and very lonesome it was. Why didn't you come down this
morning?"

"I sang out to you jist now, sir, as how I had to take a letter for the
Cap'en, who told me as he didn't think you'd have time to bathe afore
starting for the steamer."

"I thought I had--and missed it!" said Bob ruefully. "But you're not
going really to swim out to the cutter now, Dick, eh?"

"No, no, Master Bob," cried Dick, his grin expanding into a laugh. "I
were only a-joking. There's a waterman just shoving down his wherry as
will put us off to her. Hi, ahoy, there!"

"Hi, hullo!" also shouted out Bob; but the two only succeeded in
ultimately attracting the attention of old Barney the boatman, who was
rather deaf, and required a deal of hallooing before noticing any one,
by setting on Rover with a "Hi, catch him, sir!"

This rather exasperated old Barney at first. However, after some
violent explanations they were grudgingly given a passage out to the
anchored yacht, Barney grumbling at doing it for nothing!

Rover was not included in the bargain; for, he disdained adventuring his
valuable person in a small row-boat, no inducement being ever strong
enough to persuade him so to do. He was quite satisfied to swim out
after the boys had started off in the wherry, being lugged subsequently
on board the cutter by his legs and tail as soon as they fetched
alongside.

For some little time after Bob and Dick got on board, both were very
busy, Bob dipping overboard a bucket that had a "becket" of rope for a
handle, and a longer rope bent on to this with which he proceeded to
haul the bucket up again, full of sea-water, wherewith he sluiced the
decks fore and aft thoroughly; while Dick, on his part, scrubbed the
planks with a piece of "holystone," then adroitly drying them with a
mop, which he could twirl now, after a little experience, with all the
dexterity of an old salt!

When the little cutter was thus presently made "a-taunto" by their
mutual exertions, they sat down to rest for awhile, Dick sharing his
luncheon of bread-and-cheese with Bob, who, of course, had long since
consumed the slices of bread-and-butter he had brought out with him for
his breakfast.

By and by, on a gentle breeze springing up from the southward and
westwa