ong the
bottom of the boat to the basket. She smelt her children, nosed them
over, one by one, then, satisfied that everything was all right, muzzled
against Rex, and lay down contentedly.

This feat accomplished, Ross pulled the boat under the window again.

"Now, Anton," he called, "it's your turn."

"All right," the younger lad replied, "I'm coming."

Ross heard him drag a chair to the window, to make it easier for him to
clamber out.

Just at that instant, there came a cracking from the front of the house,
the corner-post of the porch, to which the boat had been fastened less
than five minutes before, fell with a crash and the front of the house
crumbled. There was a moment's pause, and then the whole structure
keeled over, away from the boat, and with a rending and cracking of
timbers, broke from its foundation. Over and over it heeled, and it
looked as though it would go to pieces. From the window overhead came a
scream of terror.

Realizing that Anton could never save himself, if the house were
collapsing, Ross leaped for the rope of linen that was hanging out of
the window and went up it like a monkey.

The chair on which Anton had climbed, to get out of the window, had slid
to the far end of the room and fallen on the sloping floor, the lower
edge of which was now in the water, and the crippled lad was pinned down
and unable to get out. The candle had been thrown down on the table and
fire was beginning to lick some paper that had not slipped to the floor.

Ross dashed in, grabbed Anton by the arm, picked him up with the
"firemen's carry" and staggered up the sloping floor to the window.

Had the boat suffered in the careening of the house?

The line, made of linen sheets, still was taut, and Ross, peering out of
the window, saw to his great delight that the boat was still there with
all its passengers safe, Rex, Lassie, and the puppies.

A lurch almost threw Ross upon his face and the whole house swayed as
though with a violent earthquake. The next instant, a sense of motion
beneath them told the boys that the house was afloat.

"The house has gone, the house has gone! What are we going to do?" cried
the crippled boy.

"That's all right, Anton," the older lad said consolingly, "things
aren't so bad. See, it's beginning to get daylight."

"But," said the younger boy, "the house is floating down to Pirate's
Cave, that gully where the big rocks are. If we run up against those,
the house'll be sma