ring to find the rock.

It was the boat of two fast friends, Jock Swankie and Davy Spink.

These worthies were in a rather exhausted condition, having been rowing
almost incessantly from daybreak.

"I tell 'ee what it is," said Swankie; "I'll be hanged if I poo another
stroke."

He threw his oar into the boat, and looked sulky.

"It's my belief," said his companion, "that we ought to be near aboot
Denmark be this time."

"Denmark or Rooshia, it's a' ane to me," rejoined Swankie; "I'll hae a
smoke."

So saying, he pulled out his pipe and tobacco-box, and began to cut the
tobacco. Davy did the same.

Suddenly both men paused, for they heard a sound. Each looked
enquiringly at the other, and then both gazed into the thick fog.

"Is that a ship?" said Davy Spink.

They seized their oars hastily.

"The beacon, as I'm a leevin' sinner!" exclaimed Swankie.

If Spink had not backed his oar at that moment, there is some
probability that Swankie would have been a dead, instead of a living,
sinner in a few minutes, for they had almost run upon the north-east end
of the Bell Rock, and distinctly heard the sound of voices on the
beacon. A shout settled the question at once, for it was replied to by
a loud holloa from Ruby.

In a short time the boat was close to the beacon, and the water was so
very calm that day, that they were able to venture to hand the packet of
letters with which they had come off into the beacon, even although the
tide was full.

"Letters," said Swankie, as he reached out his hand with the packet.

"Hurrah!" cried the men, who were all assembled on the mortar-gallery,
looking down at the fishermen, excepting Ruby, Watt, and Dumsby, who
were still on the cross-beams below.

"Mind the boat; keep her aff," said Swankie, stretching out his hand
with the packet to the utmost, while Dumsby descended the ladder and
held out _his_ hand to receive it.

"Take care," cried the men in chorus, for news from shore was always a
very exciting episode in their career, and the idea of the packet being
lost filled them with sudden alarm.

The shout and the anxiety together caused the very result that was
dreaded. The packet fell into the sea and sank, amid a volley of yells.

It went down slowly. Before it had descended a fathom, Ruby's head
cleft the water, and in a moment he returned to the surface with the
packet in his hand amid a wild cheer of joy; but this was turned into a
cry of alarm, as Rub