e waved
his in return. "He is alive!--he is alive!" he shouted.

"If go you must, now is your time," shouted Tom.

True Blue leaped off the deck into the raging sea. Boldly he struck
out. Down came a sea thundering towards him, hurling the spar with it.
There was a shriek of horror: all on board thought he was lost. He had
only dived to avoid the sea. Then up again he was on the other side,
clinging on to the spar, with his knife in his mouth, ready to cut the
lashings which secured the stranger to it. It was done in a moment. He
had him tight round the waist.

The stranger is now seen to be a boy not bigger than himself. This
makes his task easier. The spar drifts away; the two are in the water
together.

Tom and Mr Nott, and the other boys, and the Frenchman and the black,
haul away, and, with some severe bruises, rescuer and rescued are safely
brought on deck.

"It's Sir Henry, I do believe!" shouted Tom, hauling in the rope.

"Why, Elmore, my dear fellow, is it you?" exclaimed Johnny Nott, taking
the hand of the lad, who, with True Blue, had been dragged aft and
placed in as safe a spot as the deck afforded. "We thought you were a
Frenchman."

"I scarcely know who I am. I know that I have to thank Freeborn for my
preservation," answered the young baronet.

He took True Blue's hand.

"I do thank you heartily, Freeborn," he said with much emotion.

The excitement of the first minutes of his wonderful preservation over,
young Elmore felt the effects of the exposure to which he had been
subjected so long, and sank almost helpless on the deck.

"He wants food," said Tom. "I wish that we had some." True Blue
instantly volunteered to try and go and get it; but of this the rest
would not hear.

Marline said he would go; but he was wanted to look after the rest, and
take care of poor Pringle, who was utterly unable to help himself.
Neither the Frenchman nor the black volunteered to go. The truth was,
they dared not face the danger.

"I'll go if I may!" exclaimed Tim Fid. "If I am not strong, I'm little,
and a shrimp can swim where a big fish would be knocked to pieces."

"Stay, though," said True Blue. "Here, make fast the rope round you.
If you are washed away, we can haul you in by it. It served me a good
turn, it will now serve you one."

"A good thought," said Tim, fastening the rope round his waist, and away
he went. He worked his way forward, as, True Blue had done; but just as
he