d help empty these boats! You would, would you?" He caught
one escaping worthy by the collar and jerked him so rapidly backward
that his heels fairly cracked together. Johnny flew to combat with a
chuckle of joy. I contented myself by knocking two of them together
until they promised to be good. The four we had collared were very meek.
We all waded into the wash where the boat lay sluggishly rolling. It is
no easy matter to empty a boat in that condition. Water weighs a great
deal; is fearfully inert, or at least feels so; and has a bad habit of
promptly slopping in again. We tugged and heaved, and rolled and hauled
until our joints cracked; but at last we got her free.

In the meantime forty other boats had been launched and were flying over
the waves halfway between the shore and the ship.

Talbot was swearing steadily and with accuracy; Johnny was working like
a crazy man; I was heaving away at the stern and keeping an eye on our
involuntary helpers. The boatman, beside himself with frantic
excitement, jabbered and ran about and screamed directions that no one
understood. About all we were accomplishing now was the keeping of that
boat's head straight against the heavy wash.

It seemed as though we tugged thus at cross purposes for an hour. In
reality it was probably not over two or three minutes. Then Talbot
regained sufficient control to listen to the boatman. At once he calmed
down.

"Here, boys," said he, "ease her backward. You, Johnny, stand by at the
bow and hold her head on. Frank and I will give her a shove at the
stern. When the time comes, I'll yell and you pile right in, Johnny.
_Vamos_, Manuel!"

We took our places; the boatman at the oars, his eyes over his shoulder
watching keenly the in-racing seas.

The four dripping culprits looked at each other uncertainly, and one of
them started to climb in the boat.

"Well, for _God's_ sake!" screeched Talbot, and made a headlong
bull rush for the man.

The latter tumbled right out of the boat on his back in the shallow
water. His three companions fled incontinently up the beach, where he
followed them as soon as he could scramble to his feet.

Manuel said something sharply, without looking around.

"Shove!" screeched Talbot. "Pile in, Johnny!"

We bent our backs. The boat resisted, yielded, gathered headway. It
seemed to be slipping away from me down a steep hill.

"Jump in!" yelled Talbot.

I gave a mighty heave and fell over the stern into the