ore effective aid. Old Blades, who providentially happened to
be passing, was with us in less than a minute, and fished out the two
poor half-drowned boys, scarcely a moment before they needed it. They
were more frightened, I fancy, than damaged; anyhow, we smuggled them
home, dripping as they were, and helped them to bed; and when, next
morning, they turned up as usual, nothing the worse for their first
swimming lesson, we were, as you may imagine, infinitely relieved.

This little adventure was the origin of the Parkhurst Swimming Club.
The doctor, on hearing of the affair, took the proper course; and,
instead of forbidding us the river, he secured the services of one or
two instructors, and had us all taught the art of swimming. For three
months, every day of the week, the School Creek was full of sputtering,
choking youngsters. Every new boy was hunted down to the river in turn,
and by the end of the year there was hardly a boy at Parkhurst who could
not keep his chin up in deep waters.

But this is a long introduction.

One day, two summers after that in which young Jobson and his friend had
tumbled into the Colven, a large party of us were down at the bathing-
place, indulging in what had now become a favourite summer pastime. It
so happened that our party was made up entirely of boys in the two
senior classes of the school--the fifth and the sixth. Most of us were
landed and dressing, and while so occupied had leisure to watch the
performances of those who still remained in the water.

Two of these specially interested us, who were swimming abreast about a
hundred yards from the landing-place, evidently racing home. One of
these chanced to be a sixth-form boy and the other a fifth, and a sudden
impulse seized us of the latter class to cheer our man vehemently, and
back him to be the first to reach home. The sixth-form fellows, thus
challenged, became equally excited in backing _their_ man, and so,
without premeditation, a regular match was made. The two swimmers,
hearing our shouts, entered into the spirit of the thing, and a
desperate race ensued. They came on, neck and neck, towards us, cheered
like mad by their respective supporters, both sides deeming the honour
of his form at stake in the event. Within a yard or two of the finish
they were still level, when the sixth-form man put on a terrific spurt,
to our huge disgust, and just landed himself in a nose ahead.

Of course, we were not going to