, for she was sinking fast, he
was sure.

Nearer and nearer. A few more minutes, and he would be ashore, and--

He suddenly wrenched the tiller round, the boat ran up into the wind,
careened over, and bore away on the other tack.

From Max Blande's cowardice?

No; the sail had sprung aside for a moment, as his doubting hand had
given way a little, slightly altering his course; and, as he gazed
wildly ahead, there, half covered by the swelling canvas, and not a
quarter of a mile away, the old castle of Dunroe towered up on its bold
base of storm-beaten rock.

"Will the boat float long enough for me to get there?" Max asked
himself.

He decided to try, and now came the most difficult part of the steering
he had encountered that day, and it was not until he had made three or
four attempts that he lowered the sail, about fifty yards from the rocky
natural pier from which they had started, and, to his great delight, saw
Long Shon and Tavish watching him, and, after a consultation, run round
to the little bay, out of which they came rowing in a dinghy.

"Wha's ta young maister?" cried Tavish fiercely.

"Wha's Scood?" cried Long Shon.

Max hurriedly explained.

"Ma cootness!" exclaimed Tavish; "she tought they was poth trooned."

"Why, ta poat's full o' watter!" cried Long Shon.

"Yes; she is leaking and sinking fast."

"Ma cootness!" cried Tavish, getting in, to Max's horror.

"Don't! you'll sink her. Let me get out."

"Na, na. Why tidn't you bale ta watter oot?"

"I did, but it was no use."

Tavish gave a snort, opened the locker in the bows, and then began to
toss out the water like a jerky cascade, Max watching him wildly, but,
to his great relief, seeing the water begin gradually to sink.

"She's knockit a creat hole in her pottom," said Long Shon. "Tit she
hit on ta rocks?"

"No, no; it came on all of a sudden."

"Why, she's cot ta cork oot!" cried Tavish, drawing his sleeve up above
his elbow, and thrusting his arm down to lift one of the bottom boards
beneath the centre thwart, and feeling about for a few moments before
turning reproachfully to Max.

"She shouldna pull oot ta cork."

"No," said Long Shon. "She pulls oot ta cork to let ta watter oot.
She's pulled oot ta cork to let ta watter in."

Tavish growled as he recommenced baling, and then smiled at Max.

"I did not touch it. I did not know there was a cork," said the latter
rather piteously.

"Then she must ha' come out he