e, mum. Bear a hand, Bill, will ye?"

So saying, the speaker and his comrade, with a catlike ease that came
naturally to them from their practice at sea, where they had a rolling
deck beneath their feet much more difficult to traverse than the
slippery slope they were now on, had reached the spot where the coatless
old sailor stood almost as these words were uttered, leaping down the
steep descent in a sort of `hop-skip-and-jump' fashion.

"None o' that!" exclaimed the elder of the two men who had previously
spoken, grasping hold of one of the Captain's arms while his mate, or
`Bill,' caught hold of the other. "A-going to make away with yourself,
eh? Not if we knows it, sir!"

At the same instant, however, Captain Dresser turned round with a face
on which the animated expression produced by his determination to try
and rescue the boys was mingled with a puzzled look of astonishment at
being tackled in this unceremonious manner when on the very point of
action.

His black eyes twinkled and his bushy eyebrows moved up and down at a
fine rate as he looked up indignantly to see who had dared to lay hand
on him.

"My stars!" ejaculated the coastguardsman Bill, dropping hold of the
Captain's arm as if it had been a hot poker, "I'm blest if it ain't the
old cap'en!"

The other man also recognised him at the same time, releasing the old
man equally hurriedly.

"Beg pardon, sir," he said. "Didn't know it wer' you, sir!"

But the Captain made no reply to this apology.

He only pointed to the water just below where they were standing, and
where the head of Rover could be dimly seen in the gathering dusk of the
evening, now rapidly closing in, splashing his way to the shore.

"Boys--save--quick--drown!" he stammered out brokenly. "Quick, quick!"

The men did not require any further explanation or incentive.

Without stopping to doff a garment, in they both plunged, boots and all;
and, before the Captain knew that they were gone from his side, they had
reached poor Rover, now quite exhausted, gallant dog though he was!

Then, one of the men grasping hold of Bob and the other catching hold of
Dick, they swam with the two boys between them, still locked together,
to the end of the rampart wall that jutted out over the water.

Here the Captain was ready and waiting to lean over and lend them a
hand, keeping the while a steady purchase to his feet by the aid of his
malacca stick, which possibly had never been of suc