rly over the
side. His friends saw him turn an agonized and pleading glance in their
direction and then reach far over the rail of the vessel. In an instant
Tom and Harry were by his side eager to be of any possible assistance to
their chum.

"What is it?" began Tom, but Harry motioned him to silence.

"Sit on his legs!" he commanded and Tom with a flash of comprehension
obeyed unquestioningly. His weight on Jack's feet enabled the captain to
lean far over the rail and grasp the wrists of a clinging figure
gripping with the tenacity of despair the links of the cable that still
hung from the hawse pipes.

Harry, too, leaned far out and in his eagerness to be of help nearly
lost his balance and all but plunged into the sea.

"Steady!" gasped Jack. "Slow and steady now or he's gone!"

With a mighty heave the two boys dragged the figure to a level with the
rail and then Tom left his post and came to their help.

It was now but a short task to get the rescued person on deck, but he
was so chilled and exhausted that he could not stand.

"Let's put him below as quickly as we can, boys," Jack suggested.
"Arnold has some hot coffee already cooking and that'll help him as much
as anything we can do. Easy with him, now, maybe he's hurt."

With tenderness and skill the boys who had been trained to care for
injured persons helped the visitor who had boarded their vessel so
strangely and all unannounced down the companion-way into the cabin
where he was speedily given a change of clothing followed by a steaming
cup of fragrant coffee.

Jack again assumed command in the pilot house while Arnold took up his
interrupted preparations for the meal.

"Be sure you fry an extra big piece of that Red Snapper for the new
lad," directed Tom as he prepared to go again to the pilot house. "He's
about half starved and pretty near used up, I guess!"

"You know I'll take care of him all right!" replied Arnold. "I'm sorry
we broke his boat up like that but I guess we can all take a knot out of
our neckties today. Wasn't it lucky he caught the cable, though? I'm
delighted that we were able to save him!"

"Of course, we couldn't be blamed for running into him," said Tom. "I'm
glad we rescued him from his awful predicament and now we'll have to be
extra good to him to make up for it!"

So saying he passed up the companion-way and into the pilot house
joining Harry and Jack at their ceaseless vigil.

Busily engaged with his work in the k