ng with the tide, but fighting against it."

"But the tide's coming in," I said.

"Yes, underneath," cried Bigley; "but the top part of the water's
running out like a mill-race, and we must go with it now. Follow me."

There was no help for it. The tide carried us along into a tremendous
current, caused by the meeting of two waters at the point formed by the
ridge of rocks which ran down into the sea, and to my horror, as I swam
steadily on, still holding to my bundle, I found that we were in a line
with the cliff about which I had watched the gull flying, but that it
was getting farther and farther away.

It was all plain enough. We were well in the fierce current that ran
off the point, and being carried straight out to sea.

My first idea was to shout this to my companions; but I felt that if I
did I should frighten them, and I knew well enough that as soon as
anyone grew frightened when he was swimming the best half of his power
had gone.

It was a great thing to recollect, and I held my tongue. It was hard
work, and something seemed to keep prompting me to shout the bad news,
but somehow I mastered it, and instead of swimming faster made myself
take my strokes more slowly, so as to save my breath.

Bigley told me afterwards, and so did Bob Chowne, that they felt just
the same, and would not shout for fear of frightening me, swimming
steadily on, though where we did not know.

"I say, how warm the water is!" cried Bigley; and we others said it was.
Then I thought of something to say.

We had each tied our clothes up as tightly as we could in our
pocket-handkerchiefs, and so it was a long time before they were
regularly saturated and heavy.

"I say," I cried, "my bundle's just like a cork, and holds me up
beautiful. How are yours?"

Bob Chowne panted out that his was better, and to prove hew good and
buoyant his was Bigley thrust it before him, and swam after it, giving
it pushes as he went.

All this took up our attention for a little while from the horror of our
position, for a horrible position it was indeed. It was a glorious
sunny day, and sea and sky were beautiful, but the fierce current that
set off from the point was sweeping us rapidly away, and it was only a
question of how long we could keep on swimming--a quarter of an hour,
half an hour, an hour--and then first one and then another must sink,
unless in our efforts to save the first weak one we all went down
together, and the glitter