tain Buncombe, who was at the wheel, and perhaps anxious to
atone for his carelessness in letting the _Moonshine_ swing round,
shouted out "Bravo!" waving his hat like a madman. Of course all our
several pairs of eyes were turned on him at once.
"There he is--there he is--the brave old fellow!" cried the captain,
letting go the helm in his eagerness, and pointing with his hat--waving
hand to the water under the stern. "Look aft, you duffers! Where are
your eyes? Bravo, Rollo! good dog! Hold up, old fellow! I'm coming to
help you!" and with these words, before you could say "Jack Robinson,"
Captain Buncombe had thrown off his coat, pitched away the hat he had
been waving, jumped over the taffrail of the yacht into the bosom of the
blue Aegean Sea, and was rapidly swimming to where we could see dear old
Rollo's black head and splashing paws as he supported a man in the
yacht's wake, and tried to drag him towards us in the _Moonshine_.
We gave a "Hooray!" which you might have heard at Charing Cross if you
had been listening!
Captain Buncombe and Rollo, with their burden, were so near the yacht
that there was no necessity for lowering the gig as we had hastened to
do; and in a very little time we hauled them on board--Rollo jumping
about in the highest spirits, as if he had been just having a quiet lark
on his own account; but the rescued person was limp and insensible,
though he presently came to by the aid of hot-water bottles and
blankets. The _Moonshine_ then made another start, and succeeded better
in anchoring in a respectable fashion, as she had always been accustomed
to do.
The man was a handsome young fellow, with black hair and piercing eyes--
a Greek, he told us in French which he spoke fluently--although he had
not that treacherous cast of countenance which most of his countrymen
possess. He was profuse in the thanks which he bestowed broadcast for
our saving him from drowning, although Rollo had really all the credit
of it. His name was Stephanos Pericles, he said, and he was crossing to
Salamis, when the squall came on, and his boat was upset. He had been
dragged under water by the boat and almost suffocated before he could
get to the surface, being quite exhausted when the dog gripped him. For
Rollo had seen him before any of us, and had not waited for our
directions as to what to do.
"I'm a soldier," he said, proudly tapping his chest, and looking round
at dad and the captain, and Mr Moy
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