g into the sea, "are ye
mad? are ye daft? There's nobody there, lads; 'twas only Cousin Ronald at
his old tricks again."

As he caught up to Harold, the boy's coat and vest lay on the ground, and
he was down beside them, tugging at his boots and shouting "Hold on! I'm
coming," while a great wave came rolling in and dashed over him, wetting
him from head to foot.

"No, ye're not!" cried Mr. Lilburn, laying a tight grasp upon his arm;
"there's nobody there; and if there was, what could a bit, frail laddie
like you do to rescue him? You'd only be dragged under yourself."

"Nobody there? oh, I'm so glad!" cried Harold with a hearty laugh, as he
jumped up, snatched his clothes from the ground and sprang hastily back
just in time to escape the next wave. "But you gave us a real scare this
time, Cousin Ronald."

"You gave me one," said Mr. Lilburn, joining in the laugh. "I thought
you'd be in the sea and may be out of reach of help before I could catch
up to you. You took no time to deliberate."

"Deliberate when somebody was drowning? There wouldn't have been a second
to lose."

"You'd just have thrown your own life away, lad, if there had been anybody
there. Don't you know it's an extremely hazardous thing for a man to
attempt to rescue a drowning person? They're so apt to catch, and grip you
in a way to deprive you of the power to help yourself and to drag you
under with them.

"I honor you for your courage, but I wish, my boy, you'd promise me never
to do the like again; at least not till you're grown up and have some
strength."

"And leave a fellow-creature to perish!" cried the boy almost indignantly.
"O cousin, could you ask me to be so selfish?"

"Not selfish, lad; only prudent. If you want to rescue a drowning man,
throw him a rope, or reach him the end of a pole, or do anything else you
can without putting yourself within reach of his hands."

Rosie, left behind by all her companions, looked this way and that in
fright and perplexity, then ran after Herbert; as that was the direction
to take her to her father and mother.

Mr. Travilla and Eddie had started toward the beach to join the others and
were the first to hear Herbert's cry.

"Oh, it was Cousin Ronald," said the latter; "nobody goes in bathing at
this hour."

"Probably," said his father, "yet--ah, there's the life boat out now and
moving toward the spot."

With that they all ran in the same direction and came up to Mr. Lilburn
and Harold ju