wheeling quickly round, he sprang over the
rocks, and returned to his post.

"Ha! it's time," cried the smith. "I thought you would never be done
makin' love to that there girl. Come, blaze away!"

Ruby felt so nettled by the necessity that was laid upon him of
taking no notice of Minnie, that he seized the handle of the bellows
passionately, and at the first puff blew nearly all the fire away.

"Hallo! messmate," cried the smith, clearing the dust from his eyes;
"what on airth ails ye? You've blowed the whole consarn out!"

Ruby made no reply, but, scraping together the embers, heaped them up
and blew more gently.

In a short time the visitors re-entered their boat, and rowed out of
the creek in which it had been lying.

Ruby became so exasperated at not being able even to watch the boat
going away, that he showered terrific blows on the mass of metal the
smith was turning rapidly on the anvil.

"Not so fast, lad; not so fast," cried Dove hurriedly.

Ruby's chafing spirit blew up just at that point; he hit the iron a
crack that knocked it as flat as a pancake, and then threw down the
hammer and deliberately gazed in the direction of the boat.

The sight that met his eyes appalled him. The boat had been lying in
the inlet named Port Stevenson. It had to pass out to the open sea
through _Wilson's Track_, and past a small outlying rock named
_Gray's Rock_--known more familiarly among the men as _Johnny Gray_.
The boat was nearing this point, when the sea, which had been rising
for some time, burst completely over the seaward ledges, and swept
the boat high against the rocks on the left. The men had scarcely got
her again into the track when another tremendous billow, such as
we have already described, swept over the rocks again and swamped the
boat, which, being heavily ballasted, sank at once to the bottom of
the pool.

It was this sight that met the horrified eyes of Ruby when he looked
up.

He vaulted over the bellows like an antelope, and, rushing over
_Smith's Ledge_ and _Trinity Ledge_, sprang across _Port Boyle_, and
dived head foremost into _Neill's Pool_ before any of the other men,
who made a general rush, could reach the spot.

A few powerful strokes brought Ruby to the place where the major and
the captain, neither of whom could swim, were struggling in the
water. He dived at once below these unfortunates, and almost in a
second, reappeared with Minnie in his arms.

A few seconds sufficed to