ght
not fall off.

The chest accepted the responsibility and bore it bravely, taking all
the strain off Donald's tired arms, and enabling him to recover his
strength and wind in a measure. Of course it was no easy matter to
keep the little one in place with the waves so full of motion, but it
was ever so much less strain than it had been before, and the sturdy
boy could have maintained the struggle a little longer still, when the
welcome rattle of oars and the encouraging shouts of men told him that
rescue was near.

The boat came dashing up under the strenuous strokes of four brawny
oarsmen, and in her bow stood William Paterson, his eager glance bent
upon the two imperilled ones, and his arms outstretched ready to grasp
them.

"God bless you, my noble boy!" he exclaimed, as, after tenderly lifting
the child into the boat, he caught Donald under the arms to help him
in. "You've taught us a lesson in heroism this day."

Donald sat down in the bow so utterly exhausted that he was hardly
conscious of Mr. Paterson's warm words, nor of the hearty praise of the
men, but he had an exquisite sense of relief and of having become a
person of importance.

The first to greet him on the deck of the vessel were the parents of
the child, and Mrs. Sutherland turned from hugging her rescued darling
to throw her arms around Donald's neck and kiss him again and again,
greatly to the bashful boy's embarrassment, while her husband was
thumping him on the back, and exclaiming huskily, "How can I ever repay
you for saving my child's life?"

It was really very trying to Donald to be the subject of such
demonstration, and he was quite glad to get away from the grateful
parents and the applauding crowd to his own cabin to put on some dry
clothes. But when the first excitement subsided and he found that he
had not only won the respect of his shipmates, but also the warm
friendship of the Sutherlands, who were very fine people, he felt that
the game was well worth the candle, and that he was splendidly repaid
for the risk he had taken.

The first part of the long voyage across the great Atlantic Ocean was
devoid of special incident. The ships presently scattered, so that
each was alone in the vast expanse; and the days followed one another
monotonously enough until the _Bonnie Scotland_ sighted the Azores
Islands, and, to the delight of all on board, it was announced that a
call at Fayal would be made in order to replenish the suppl