ld perform any feat of agility displayed it. One would turn a
somersault in the water, and then dive from one side of the raft to
another, one could float, and another swim on his back, while a third
was learning to tread water. Some were fond of diving toes downward,
others took headers. "The little fellows" who could not swim kept on the
inside of the great raft and paddled about with the aid of slabs used
for floats. Jack, who had lived for years on the banks of the Wildcat,
could swim and dive like a musquash.

Mr. Williams, the teacher, felt lonesome at saying good-bye to his
school; and to keep the boys company as long as possible, he strolled
down to the bank and sat on the grass watching the bathers below him,
plunging and paddling in all the spontaneous happiness of young life.

Riley and Pewee--conspirators to the last--had their plans arranged.
When Jack should get his clothes on, they intended to pitch him off the
raft for a good wetting, and thus gratify their long-hoarded jealousy,
and get an offset to the standing joke about dough-faces and ghosts which
the town had at their expense. Ben Berry, who was their confidant,
thought this a capital plan.

When at length Jack had enjoyed the water enough, he came out and was
about to begin dressing. Pewee and Riley were close at hand, already
dressed, and prepared to give Jack a farewell ducking.

But just at that moment there came from the other end of the raft, and
from the spectators on the bank, a wild, confused cry, and all turned to
hearken. Harry Weathervane's younger brother, whose name was Andrew
Jackson, and who could not swim, in dressing, had stepped too far
backward and gone off the raft. He uttered a despairing and terrified
scream, struck out wildly and blindly, and went down.

All up and down the raft and up and down the bank there went up a cry:
"Andy is drowning!" while everybody looked for somebody else to save
him.

The school-master was sitting on the bank, and saw the accident. He
quickly slipped off his boots, but then he stopped, for Jack had already
started on a splendid run down that long raft. The confused and
terrified boys made a path for him quickly, as he came on at more than
the tremendous speed he had always shown in games. He did not stop to
leap, but ran full tilt off the raft, falling upon the drowning boy and
carrying him completely under water with him. Nobody breathed during the
two seconds that Jack, under water, stru