dio boys to the cottage of Bob's parents, where they sat on
the veranda while supper was being prepared, for Bob had given them a
cordial invitation to take supper and spend the evening with them.

As they were about the size of Bob and Joe, the latter had furnished them
with extra suits of their own clothes while their drenched garments were
taken in charge by Mrs. Layton to be dried and pressed.

And now for the first time the new acquaintances were able to take a good
look at each other. What they saw pleased them mutually.

One of the boys was slender and agile, with frank, honest eyes and a
friendly smile that was almost constantly in evidence. His hair was brown
and wavy and his complexion naturally fair, though it was at the moment
tanned by the sun and sea air. There was not an ounce of superfluous flesh
on his body, and he gave the impression of being a trained athlete.

The other had a humorous face that betrayed Irish ancestry, which was
emphasized by the merest touch of a brogue when he talked. His hair was
red and his face freckled, and there was something about him that was
extremely likable and made the boys warm to him at once.

"We haven't had a chance to learn each other's names yet," said Bob, with
a smile, as the party settled comfortably into the veranda seats. "And
that's not surprising either," he added, "for we've been pretty busy since
the first moment we met. This is the first chance we've had to draw our
breaths. My name is Bob Layton, and these pals of mine are Joe Atwood,
Herb Fennington and Jimmy Plummer, the latter the greatest doughnut eater
in captivity."

"And our handles are Larry Bartlett and Tim Barcommon," said the taller of
the two newcomers, as they laughingly acknowledged the introductions. "And
before we do anything else we want to tell you fellows how grateful we are
for the way you came to our help. It would have been all up for us if you
hadn't."

"Yes," chimed in Tim, "we'll never forget it as long as we live. It was a
mighty plucky thing for you fellows to pull out in the sea that was
running. The sight of you coming was the only thing that helped me to hold
on. I was just about all in when you reached us. You certainly sent that
old boat spinning along."

"Oh, that was nothing," disclaimed Bob. "We just happened to be on the
spot. Any one else would have done the same thing."

"But you notice nobody else did do it," replied Larry. "There were lots of
other people