it you've got to dive at least twelve
feet and bring up from the bottom a dead weight of not less than ten
pounds and swim ten feet carrying that weight. I tell you, Father,
that's quite a stunt! And then, besides all the swimming stuff, you've
got to show that you're Johnny-on-the-spot in throwing a life-buoy, to
say nothing of a barrel of tests in first aid, and in splicing and
knot-tying of nearly every sort and shape. You don't get any chance to
rest, either. All that swimming business has to be done on the same day.
It's a good test of endurance, all right."

"And you passed it, son?"

"I got ninety per cent.," Eric answered. "I thought I'd told you all
about it. No, I guess it came off when you were on one of your trips. I
don't go much on boasting, Father, but I really can swim."

"Well, my boy," the other said, "I'll take a little credit for that.
Don't forget I was your first swimming teacher! But I couldn't do all
those things you've been telling me about, now. I'm glad to know they've
got as high a standard as that in the Volunteer Corps. I shouldn't
wonder if the Coast Guard would be able to get some of its best men from
the volunteer ranks. Take yourself, for example."

"It's done me a lot of good," said the boy.

"Of course it has. It would do anybody good. But I've been wanting to
ask you, Eric, what effect the formation of this new Coast Guard will
have on your plans?"

"It won't hurt them a bit," the boy answered. "I wrote to the Captain
Commandant about it and he sent me the dandiest letter! I'll show it to
you when my trunk gets home. You see, Father, when the Life-Saving
Service and the Revenue Cutter Service joined together under the name of
the Coast Guard, it was arranged that every member of both services
might reenlist without examination. And my application was in last year.
So that there's nothing special, I'm just going through the regular
order of things. That is, if I can make the Coast Guard Academy."

"You ought to manage it, I think," said his father. "I'm really glad you
have made up your mind to it, Eric," he continued; "it's a good
full-size man's job. And you have quite a bit of the salt in your veins,
my lad, for, after all, most of your kin are seafaring folk."

"You never had anything to do with the old Revenue Cutter Service, had
you, Father?"

"I was never a member of it," the other replied, "but I've seen it at
work, many times these forty years. No, I got into the Li