st his hands away, and jump with him."

"Well, I do declare!" thought Zaidos. He decided that he had better
find out just what sort of a fellow he was supposed to be anyhow.

Velo went on, "When I got him into the water, I had to take him over my
shoulder, and swim for dear life to get away from the boat before she
went down. We just made it, and at that he clung to me with such a
grip that I thought I would have to let go and leave him to his fate."

"Queer how they hang on to one in the water," said the doctor. "It
seems strange he does not swim."

"Oh, he swims a little," said Velo. "He _thinks_ he swims well, but it
does not amount to much. I got hold of a life belt and buckled it
around him, and kept his courage up as well as I could. The fight out
there nearly finished him."

"I don't know as I blame him," said the doctor. "It must have been a
pretty stiff experience, especially when a shot came your way
occasionally."

"Yes, it was exciting," Velo agreed. He spoke with the ease of a man
accustomed to worse things. Zaidos wondered how the doctor ever
believed it all.

"Well," he said, "I'll have to go on. You can congratulate yourself,
young man, on having the courage and patience to stick it out and save
the lad. It is a great credit to you and I'm proud to know you." And
he turned and walked softly away between the white bunks.

Velo remained standing near Zaidos. Presently he came over and looked
down at his cousin. Zaidos opened one eye and looked up. The other he
kept tightly closed. It gave him a teasing, guying expression of
countenance which he had many times found very irritating at school.

"Dear, _dear_ Velo," he said with a simper, "how can I _ever_ thank you
for saving my life?"

CHAPTER V

INTO SERVICE

Zaidos' method of punishing Velo for the yarn he had told the doctor
took the form of an exaggerated gratitude. Being perfectly independent
of praise himself, Zaidos could not understand why on earth Velo should
have taken the trouble to misrepresent things so. As far as Zaidos
could see, there was nothing to be gained by it. The incident was past
and did not concern the doctor in any way. Zaidos, who did not know
his cousin at all, had yet to learn that his was one of the natures
that are incapable of any noble effort, yet which feed on praise. With
Velo everything was personal. If he passed a beautiful woman driving
in the park, he thought instantly, "Now i