imself a fresh impetus, shot
himself forward, and as he entered the opening he let the rope slide
through his hands for a few feet, the result being that when he
tightened his grasp he was landed safely, and he drew a long breath.

"Where are you?" he said sharply as he drew up more of the rope; and,
making a running loop, passed it over his head and round his waist, so
as there should be no danger of its getting free.

"Here!" cried Will, whose nerve seemed to return now that he had a
companion in his perilous position; and, starting up, he caught the
rough fisherman tightly by the arm.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

"I SAY, MY LAD, WHAT'S GOING TO BE DONE?"

"Why, what's the matter with you?" cried Josh angrily.

"I don't know. Nothing," replied Will. "I could not reach the rope."

"Ah! well, you've got it now," said Josh gruffly; "and the sooner we get
out of this the better."

"Get out of it?" said Will hoarsely.

"Get out of it! To be sure. You didn't mean to come here to live, did
you?"

"No," said Will, "but--"

He paused, for his nervous feeling was returning, and shame kept him
from saying that he was afraid.

He might have spoken out frankly, though, for Josh Helston, blunt of
perception as he was over many things, saw through him now, and in a
gruff voice he said:

"Well, if anybody had told me that you could have got yourself skeered
like this, Master Will, I should have told him he was a fool. But
there, you couldn't help it, I s'pose. It was that diving as upset you,
lad."

"Yes, yes; perhaps it was," cried Will, eagerly grasping at the excuse.
"I'm not myself, Josh, just now."

Josh began to whistle a dreary old minor tune as they stood there in the
dark, to the accompaniment of the dripping water, and for some few
minutes no word was spoken.

"Hadn't we better get back?" said Josh at last.

"But how?" said Will despairingly.

"Rope," replied Josh laconically. "Swarm up!"

Will laid his hand upon the slight cord his companion had knotted round
his waist.

"I could not climb up that," he said, "at any time. It's impossible
now."

Josh whistled again and remained silent.

"Well, it is gashly thin to swarm up," he said. "I never thought of
that till now."

"You did not think of getting back?" cried Will.

Josh rubbed the side of his nose with a bit of the rope.

"Well, no," he said slowly; "can't say as I did, lad. Seemed to me as
you was in trouble, and I'd better come to