At once they both went
under, and Zaidos fought his way out of the strangling clasp; but Velo
seized him by the arm. They came up, and Zaidos turned on his cousin.

"Don't, don't let me go!" Velo begged with staring eyes. "I'm getting
a cramp!"

"Then let go of me!" cried Zaidos. "I'll save you if I can, but don't
grab me!"

Velo, overcome with terror, tried to obey, but his reason was not as
strong as his terror. Once more he tried to grasp Zaidos.

The boy turned, grabbed him by the throat, and forced him under water.

He struggled furiously for a space, then suddenly went limp. Zaidos
drew him to the surface. He was unconscious. He supported the
unresisting weight on his shoulder, and as he kept afloat, he
despairingly scanned the horizon.

Bearing down upon them at full speed he saw an English Red Cross ship!

CHAPTER IV

A STRUGGLE IN THE SEA

Hope rose in Zaidos' bosom. He gave a sigh of relief. The boat was
only a couple of miles distant, and coming full steam ahead. Something
bumped heavily against Zaidos' shoulder. It was a dead soldier. A
gaping water-soaked wound on his head sagged open, and told the story
as plainly as words could do. He was supported by a life belt
carelessly strapped around him. The body pressed against Zaidos,
bumping him gently as it moved in the wash of the sea.

Still holding Velo with his left arm, Zaidos unbuckled the single strap
that held the life belt and the body, released, slipped down into the
water and disappeared. Zaidos, treading water as hard as he could,
next managed to get the belt around Velo and buckled it. He fastened
it so high that Velo's head was supported well out of the water; and
Zaidos let himself down in the water with a gasp of relief. He felt
that he was good for hours now. Keeping a hand on the strap of the
belt, he turned on his back and floated. The water was warm, there was
a hot sun shining, and with the Red Cross ship approaching, Zaidos felt
that he was indeed lucky.

He felt no uneasiness about the Red Cross ship changing its direction;
the sea about was full of wreckage and men swimming and clinging to
spars and timbers. It was not as though he and Velo had been alone
there in the sea. The Red Cross ship had no doubt seen the explosion
and sinking of the transport. So Zaidos floated easily beside his
unconscious companion, occasionally calling to some hardy swimmer who
came near, and expecting soon to see the