nstantaneous, when he felt, rather than saw, some one else glide
swiftly past him still more expeditiously; and then, there was another
heavy plunge in the water below, where Bob and Rover were struggling for
dear life.

"Bless my soul!" ejaculated the Captain, halting abruptly with the
assistance of his sheet anchor, the malacca cane, as he half turned
round. "The woman's never such a fool!"

He thought it was Mrs Gilmour.

But, he was mistaken.

Dick had anticipated them both.

Bob's unlucky slip and cry of alarm as he fell into the sea, his aunt's
exclamation of terror, the Captain's movement to the rescue, and the
grateful Dick's perilous jump, for it was almost a leap from the top of
the castle wall, were all, as has been already pointed out, the work of
a moment; the chain of incidents taking much longer to describe than to
happen.

So, there, before you could cry `Jack Robinson,' as the Captain
afterwards said, two boys, instead of one, were struggling with the dog
in the water; and of all these three, to heighten the excitement of the
scene, Rover alone was able to swim!

Bob, of course, had plunged in unwittingly, while Dick's only thought
was to help one from whom he had received such unexpected kindness; the
lad not having reflected for an instant on the danger of the task he was
undertaking.

Now, therefore, although on reaching the water the grateful boy
succeeded in carrying out his object of catching hold of Bob, both
immediately sank under the surface.

They came up the next moment locked together, spluttering and
splattering for breath and holding up their hands for aid, an action
which naturally sent them down again; the tide meanwhile sweeping them
away from the shore.

Rover was master of the situation--that is, he and the Captain, who by
this time had scrambled down to the last ledge of the rampart, and took
in the position of affairs at a glance.

"Hi, Rover, good dog, fetch them out!" cried the old sailor, at the same
moment throwing off his coat and preparing to go into the sea, too, if
need be. "Fetch 'em out!"

But, there was no necessity for this appeal to Rover, who did not
require any orders or directions as to his duty.

The dog, like the Captain, was quite aware of the perilous position of
his young master, and had already determined in his own mind what was
best to be done under such circumstances.

Master Bob having come down flop on top of him as he was trying to
c