ur attempts became more
feeble, and I found myself at last swimming heavily close to Lomax,
whose fierce-looking head suddenly rose close to my hand.

"Does nobody know anything about where the boy went down?" he roared;
but there was no answer, and he panted out,--

"Take care of yourselves, boys. Don't overdo it. We must keep on, but
it's unkind work."

We dived again and again, till I felt that I could do no more, and once
more I was close up to Lomax, who had been down till he was almost
completely exhausted.

"Oh, my lad! my lad!" he groaned, as he began to tread water slowly,
"I'd have given anything sooner than this should have happened. Here,
you, Burr junior, you're spent, boy. Swim ashore."

"I'm not," I said. "I'm going down again."

"I'm done," groaned Lomax. "I seem to have no more strength."

Shouts and orders came from the bank.

"They're saying we don't dive," said Mercer piteously.

"Not diving?" cried Lomax. "Well!"

As he spoke, he sank again, and the water closed in a swirl over his
head, while, after taking a long breath, I dived under into the depths,
with the water thundering in my ears, as, during what seemed to be a
long space of time, though less than a minute, of course, I groped and
swam about till a curious sensation of confusion came over me, and,
frightened now, I touched something and clung to it wildly, believing in
my startled state that it was Lomax.

The next instant I was at the surface, surprised to see the old sergeant
making a rush at me, as he uttered a shout. Then he seized something by
me, and I knew that I had brought one of my schoolfellows to the
surface.

We swam ashore, to reach it soon after Lomax, who had borne the white,
limp figure we had rescued into the dressing shed.

"Boys who can run!" shouted Mr Rebble. "Blankets, quick!"

A dozen boys dashed off, and Lomax panted,--

"You two--work him like this--gently. I'll relieve you directly."

He left the two masters rubbing and moving the boy's arms to their full
extent, and pressing them to his sides, while he hurried on some
clothes, and, shivering with horror and exhaustion, we followed his
example, while, with my ears ringing, I heard Mercer gasp out,--

"Poor old Dicksee! Oh, Frank, I hope he ain't drowned."

But as, after our hurried dressing, we saw him lying there rigid and
cold, it seemed as if the boy would never say another unkind word to a
soul.

By this time Lomax had reliev