our arm-pits, and that
will support you until I can haul you up."

"Good idea," murmured the man weakly. With one hand he grasped the
loop which Nat let down to him. He evidently was used to cables, for
he knew how to handle this one, and in a few seconds he had his head
and arms through the loop. This supported him so that he was out of
water up to his waist.

"I'll have you out in another minute," declared Nat as he scrambled up
the rope hand over hand, until he was once more on the deck of the
barge. Then he tried to pull the man up by hauling on the rope, but he
found the task too great for his strength.

"I'll have to get help," he said.

"No, no! Don't leave me!" begged the man. "Just lower me another rope,
and I can pull myself up."

Nat understood the plan. Quickly running to the other side of the
barge, he found a long cable. This he fastened as he had done the
first, and he let the length of it dangle between the two vessels so
that the man could reach it.

"Pull now!" called the man.

Hauling on the rope about the stranger's shoulders, while the latter
aided himself in the work of rescue by pulling on the second rope, the
rescued one was soon on the deck of the barge beside Nat. He was so
weak that he sank down in a heap as soon as he was over the rail.

"Are you hurt? Can I get you anything? Do you belong aboard this
barge?" asked the boy.

"No--no, my lad," said the man slowly. "I'll be all right in a few
minutes. I'm exhausted, that's all. My name is Weatherby----"

"What, John Weatherby, the pilot of the _Jessie Drew_?" asked Nat, who
knew a number of pilots by their names.

"That's who I am, my lad. You may think it queer that a pilot should
fall overboard, but I'll tell you how it happened. First, however, let
me thank you with all my heart for what you did for me. But for you I
would have been drowned."

"Oh, I guess not."

"Yes, I would. I couldn't have held on much longer, as I'm getting old
and I'm not as strong as I was."

"Some one else would have come to your aid."

"I don't know about that. There is no one aboard either of the barges.
I didn't know that, or I shouldn't have come here to-night. That
vessel over there has gone out of commission, and there is no one
aboard her. There's a watchman on the pier, but he didn't hear me
calling for help. You saved my life, and I'll not forget it."

"I am glad I was able to," responded Nat.

"What is your name?" asked the pilot. He