"Look out you don't pull the boat apart," admonished Teddy. "Remember,
I'm in the stern, and I don't want to be left behind."

His more serious brother rebuked Teddy's frivolity with a glance, and
then turned his eyes toward the line of thundering surf they were
rapidly approaching. Lester was absorbed in the problem before him,
glancing now at the line of breakers and then at the big waves chasing
the boat, each one looking as though it must surely overwhelm it. At
last, when they were not more than a hundred feet from the beach, Lester
bent to the oars with all his strength, calling:

"Now, Fred, pull! Pull for all you're worth!"

An involuntary exclamation broke from Bill as he glanced astern. Close
behind was a gigantic roller, its foaming crest already starting to bend
over. As he gazed, fascinated, the crest broke and rushed at the little
boat with a seething hiss. Up, up went the stern and the bow dug deep
into the water.

"Pull, pull!" yelled Lester.

His oars and Fred's bent beneath the force of their straining backs. For
a moment it seemed as though the wave must surely break into the boat
and swamp it. But suddenly they felt the boat leap forward, as though
some giant of the deep had seized it and thrown it from him. With the
white water boiling under the stern the boat raced on, caught in the
grip of the breaker and traveling inshore with the same speed at which
the wave itself moved. The bow cut through the water, curling up a bow
wave on each side that at times came into the boat.

Suddenly the little craft started to turn to starboard.

"Pull on the starboard side," shouted Lester, suiting the action to the
word.

Fred promptly obeyed, and after a few straining strokes, the boat
returned to a straight path before the roller and the next moment had
rushed up on the sand, propelled by the last force of the breaker which
went seething and hissing up the beach.

"Out! Get out! Quick!" shouted Fred. "Let's lift the boat up higher
before the next wave comes. Lively's the word!"

The boys leaped out and rapidly dragged the boat up past the high water
mark, just as another wave, even larger than the one that had carried
them in, came sweeping over the place where they had landed.

They were a little white and shaken at the danger they had passed
through, but at the same time were wildly exhilarated by the excitement
of it.

"Whew!" exclaimed Teddy. "It seemed to me that we were traveling faster
th