."

"And was any one drowned?" said Arthur.

"Well, sir, you see the story don't say," said Josh, moistening first
one hand and then the other as he rowed; "but that's why she were called
Tom Dodder's Rock; and there's the rock, as you see, so it must be
true."

As soon as they were clear of the bar at the mouth of the harbour the
sea had become smoother, and in the interest he had taken in Josh's
narrative about Tom Dodder's Rock, Arthur had forgotten a little of his
discomfort and dread; but now that the boat was getting farther from
land and the story was at an end, he began to show his nervousness in
various ways, the more that nobody but Josh seemed to be noticing him,
for his father was busy with a small glass, inspecting the various
headlands and points, and looking long and earnestly at the old mines,
whose position was indicated by the crumbling stone engine-houses.

"Is the sea very deep here?" said Arthur to his brother, who did not
answer; he was too intent upon the preparation of a fishing-line with
Will.

"Deep? No," said Josh, "not here."

"But it looks deep," said Arthur, gazing over the side.

"Ah! but it ar'n't. 'Bout three fathom, p'r'aps."

"Three fathoms!" cried Arthur. "Why, that's eighteen feet, and over my
head!"

"Well, yes, you ar'n't quite so tall as that!" cried Josh, with a bit of
a chuckle.

"But suppose the boat was overset?" said Arthur.

"Oh, she won't overset, my lad. You couldn't overset her; and if she
did--can you swim?"

"A little--not much. I'm not very fond of the water."

"Ah! that's a pity," said Josh; "everybody ought to be able to swim.
You'd better come down to me every morning, and I'll take you out in the
boat here and you can jump in and have a good swim round, and then come
in again and dress."

Arthur looked at him in horror. The idea seemed frightful. To come out
away from land, and plunge into water eighteen feet deep, where he might
go to the bottom and perhaps never come up again, was enough to stun him
mentally for the moment, and he turned away from Josh with a shudder.

"Here you are, Taff!" said Dick just then. "Now have a try for a fish.
Come and sit here; change places."

Dick jumped up and stepped over the thwarts, vacating his seat right in
the stern. In fact he looked as if he could have run all round the boat
easily enough on the narrow gunwale had there been any need, while, in
spite of his call and the sight of the fishing-li