t have a hole in it. We'd better go
to their rescue!"

CHAPTER XXII

AFLOAT ONCE MORE

Captain Spark laid aside his binoculars and began shoving the gig
down toward the line of surf. The tide was about half in.

"Lend a hand!" cried the commander to Mr. Tarbill. There was no
need to urge Bob, who had already grasped one side of the gunwale
and was helping to push the boat down the beach.

It was almost too much for the captain and Bob, as Mr. Tarbill,
however willing he was, could not bring much strength to the work.
Fortunately, however, Tim Flynn came from the woods at that moment,
dragging after him a long thin pole to serve as a mast. He saw
what the captain wanted and ran up to help. Between the three they
managed to get the gig afloat.

"Now then! Lively!" cried the commander. "Their boat is settling
fast!"

Tim did not need to be told what the object was in launching the
gig. Fortunately there had been a spare pair of oars in the craft
when she came ashore, the big blades being fastened so they could
not float away. With these the captain and Tim began to propel the
boat toward the sinking craft in which were Mr. Carr and Ned Scudd.
The two latter were bailing so fast that they had no chance to row.
Bob also went in the gig, but Mr. Tarbill remained on shore,
nervously running up and down, wringing his hands and uttering vain
wishes that he had never undertaken a sea voyage for his health.

It was not long before the gig was close to the other boat, and
Captain Spark called out a glad greeting to his first mate and the
sailor.

"What happened?" he asked.

"We hit some floating wreckage last night," explained Mr. Carr.
"Stove quite a hole, but I managed to stuff part of a sail in it,
and we did very well until early this morning. Then some of the
seams began to open, and we're filling fast."

"I'll take you aboard," said the commander. "We've got a nice
little island waiting for you. Where are the other men?"

"Drowned," replied Mr. Carr solemnly. "That is, those who were
with me. When we got the hole in us they became frightened and
leaped overboard--that is, all but Ned here. I tried to make 'em
stay in, but they wouldn't. That is the last I saw of them. The
other boat, with Sam Bender and his crew, we lost sight of."

"Poor fellows," murmured the captain.

The first mate and Ned were soon in the captain's gig, and shortly
afterward the boat with the hole in her filled