idst of a lot of splashing. "Lend us
a hand, my lads, for I'm all at sea here. Thanky! Steady! Let's get
soundings for my legs. Mind bringing that lanthorn a bit forrarder?
That's right; now I can see where I go."

Tom Bodger had managed to find a hold for his stumps, and stood shaking
himself as well as he could for the fact that he had a lad holding
tightly on to each hand.

"Well, yer don't feel like ghostses, my lads!" cried the sailor. "This
here's solid flesh and bone, and it's rayther disappynting like."

"Disappointing, Tom?"

"Yes, Master Aleck. Yer see, your uncle says: `You find the poor lad's
remains, Bodger,'--remains, that's what he called it--`and I'll give yer
a ten-pound Bank o' Hengland note,' he says."

"Oh!" cried Aleck, passionately.

"And the orficer there from the Revenoo cutter, he says: `You find the
body o' young Mr Wrighton of the man-o'-war sloop, and there'll be the
same reward for that.'"

"Humph! I should have thought I was worth more than that," said the
midshipman.

"Ay, ay, sir!" cried Tom Bodger, who was squeezing his shirt and
breeches as he talked. "So says I, sir; but it's disappynting, for I
arn't found no corpses, on'y you young gents all as live-ho as fish; and
what's to come o' my rewards?"

"Oh, bother the rewards, Tom! How did you get in?"

"Dove, sir, and swimmed on my back with my flippers going like one o'
the seals I've seen come in here."

"But we tried to do that, both of us, and we couldn't do it."

"Dessay not, sir. Didn't try on the right tide."

"Nearly got drowned, both of us, my lad," said the midshipman. "But
don't let's lose time. You show the way, and we'll follow you."

"No hurry, sir; plenty o' time. Be easier bimeby. Tide's got another
hour o' ebb yet. But how in the name o' oakum did you two gents manage
to get in here? I knowed there was a hole here where the seals dove in,
and I did mean to come sploring like at some time or other; but it's
on'y once in a way as you can row in."

Aleck told him in a few words, and the man whistled.

"Well, I'll be blessed!" he said. "I allus knowed that Eben Megg and
his mates must have a store hole somewhere, and p'raps if I'd ha' lay
out to sarch for it I might ha' found it out. But I didn't want to go
spying about and get a crack o' the head for my pains. The Revenoo
lads'll find out for theirselves some day; and so you young gents have
been the first?"

"Stop a minute," said Al