ank God!" Frank exclaimed, "Childers is all right."

It was well, however, that the boat arrived when it did, for Childers
was utterly exhausted when it reached him. The sea had risen so high
that the waves broke against his feet, throwing the spray far above his
head, and often nearly washing him from the ledge on which he stood.
Had it not been, indeed, for the hold which he obtained of the cliff, it
would several times have swept him away. About eighteen inches above
his head he had found a ledge sufficiently wide to give a grip for his
hands, and hanging by these he managed to retain his place when three
times his feet were swept off the rock by the rush of water. The tide
was just on the turn when the boat arrived, and so exhausted was he that
he certainly would not have been able to hold out for the half hour's
buffeting to which he would have been exposed before the water fell
sufficiently to leave him. After helping him into the boat the men
gathered the clothes jammed in fissures of the cliffs. These were, of
course, drenched with water, but had for the most part remained firm in
their places. They now pulled round to the spot where Frank and Ruthven
were awaiting them.

"Childers must have been pretty nearly done," Frank said. "He must be
lying in the bottom of the boat."

Childers gave a smile of pleasure as his schoolfellows jumped on board.
He had, glancing over his shoulder, seen them drift out of sight round
the point, and had felt certain that they had reached shore. It was,
however, a great pleasure to be assured of the fact.

"You have made quite a stir upon the beach, young gentlemen," the
coxswain of the boat said. "When they two came running up without their
shoes or coats and said there were three of you cut off in the bay under
the Foreland, there didn't seem much chance for you. It didn't take us
two minutes to launch the boat, for there were a score of hands helping
to run her down; and my mates bent to it well, I can tell you, though we
didn't think it would be of any use. We were glad when we made you two
out on this side of the point. Look, there's half Deal and Walmer coming
along the shore."

It was as the boatman said. Numbers of persons were streaming along the
beach, and loud were the cheers which rose as the coxswain stood up and
shouted in a stentorian voice, "All saved!"

Frank put on his things as they approached Walmer. His shoes were lost,
as were those of Ruthven, and he had