thout getting them wet, and if we
don't take them it means coming all the way round here again. Let's
dress as we are; the salt water will soon dry."

"Very well," said Aleck, and he followed his companion's example with
much satisfaction to his feelings, listening the while to the middy's
plaints and grumblings, for he had been under water long enough to make
him feel something like resuscitated people, exceedingly discontented
and ill-humoured.

Every now and then he burst out with some disagreeable remark. One
minute it was against his shirt for sticking to his wet back; another
time it was at Aleck for getting on so fast with his dressing consequent
upon his being drier; and then he began to abuse Eben Megg.

"A beast; that's what he is. It's just as bad as murdering us with a
knife or chopper, that it is."

They were dressed at something like the same time, Aleck having achieved
his task quietly, the middy with a sort of accompaniment of grumbles and
unpleasant remarks.

"There," he said, at last; "that seems to have done me a lot of good.
There's nothing like a good growl."

"Got rid of a lot of ill temper, eh?" said Aleck, smiling to himself.

"Yes, I suppose that's it. But, I say, we're not going to try that way
out again! I say it's perfectly impossible."

"So do I," said Aleck.

"We should both have been drowned if it hadn't been for the rope."

"That we should, for a certainty," replied Aleck. "Well, there's
nothing to be done but to wait patiently for the coming of that low tide
when a boat could come in, as Eben Megg said, and as it's plain it does,
or else all these stores couldn't have been brought in."

"And when it does come?" said the middy.

"We shall swim or wade out, of course," said Aleck.

"No, we shan't," grumbled the middy. "You see if it doesn't come in the
night, when we're asleep."

"We must be too much on the look-out for that," said Aleck.

"It will not come all at once, but by degrees--lower and lower tides,
till we get the one we want; and till then we shall have to be patient."

"Hark at him!" said the midshipman. "Who's to be patient at a time like
this? Well, I'm beginning to feel warm and dry again; what do you say
to getting back and having dinner, or whatever you like to call it? Oh,
dear! Eating and drinking's bad enough on ship board, but it's all
feasts and banquets compared to this."

"We must try to improve it," said Aleck. "I don't see why we sh