Frank Armstrong, Drop Kicker

  CHAPTER IX.

  SAVED.

  Suddenly from the shore there shot up into the air a long, curvingstreak of fire. Then came a dull, booming explosion, and the dark seawas lit up for a moment. The darkness which followed seemed even moreblack than before.

  "A rocket!" shouted Frank. "They're giving us a signal."

  "Gee," said Jimmy, after a moment, "it feels good to know they'rethinking of us, but it doesn't help much."

  "There goes another one!" Rocket after rocket now split the air,marking distinctly the place for which they were heading. The boysredoubled their efforts, swimming side by side with a steady over-armstroke. Something of the horror of the darkness and the mystery ofthe rolling waters was taken away by the thought that the people onshore knew of their distress and were trying to help. But littlecould those on shore know how really bad their plight was. Therockets were being sent up as a guide to a disabled boat. They couldnot know that the long, brilliant sweep of light was being watched bytwo boys struggling for their very lives on the surface of the wateritself.

  "We must be halfway there, don't you think?" said Jimmy, in a laboredbreath.

  "We've come a long distance, for the lights look brighter. Can't yousee lights moving on the shore?" returned Frank. "Let's stop andlook."

  The boys stopped, trod water and raised themselves high as theyreached the crest of a wave. Frank was right. The lights they sawwere the lights of many lanterns, for the whole town of Seawall hadturned out. Boats were being manned and people ran hither and thitheron the shore peering out to sea.

  "Come on now," shouted Frank, who felt heartened by what he had seen,"let's break the record for the rest of the distance," and, puttingdown his head, he tore ahead, followed by Jimmy more slowly, but justas determined. They had been plugging away for perhaps five minuteswhen Frank heard a cry behind him. He stopped instantly and listened.

  "Jimmy," he called shrilly, "Jimmy!"

  There was no answer. Frank, with a sweep of his hand, turned faceabout and dashed back over the course he had come. A dozen strokesbrought him to his companion, whose white face on the surface was hisonly guide. "What is it, Jimmy, old fellow?" he cried, as he drewalongside.

  "Cramp," said Jimmy feebly. "It came suddenly in my side. I couldn'tswim and I couldn't take breath enough to yell out. It just doubledme up."

  "Here," said Frank, "rest on me and try to straighten out," for Jimmywas still doubled up. Jimmy lay back and rubbed his side vigorously,while Frank slipped an arm under his head and with the other keptafloat. "It was my fault," he said encouragingly, as Jimmy rubbed thekink out of his side. "That rocket made me crazy to get to shore."

  "No, it wasn't your fault, at all," replied Jimmy, in a strongertone. "It was the cold water. I felt it a while back and thought Icould fight it off by working hard, but it got me at last, strucksuddenly just like a knife. I'm all right now; come on," and,turning over on his face again, he struck out weakly. Frank was athis elbow watching for any weakness, but as Jimmy continued goingsmoothly he lengthened out his own stroke and soon they were back atthe old swing. The halt, however, although only for a few minutes,had lost them ground, for during the time that they were not swimmingthe tide had carried them steadily ahead--but not shoreward. Theywere still far from safety.

  Now they changed their course a little more to the left so as to cutacross the current, and bore steadily for the lights which seemed toincrease in size. They wasted no more words except occasionally onewould say: "You there?"

  The answer would come back from the other: "O. K." or "All right."They had no extra breath to spare. The distance was surely lessening,but so was the strength of these two heroic lads. How heavily swungtheir arms! Every few minutes they changed the stroke. Sometimes itwas one arm over, sometimes the other, and again it was the trudgeonor the breast stroke, whichever offered a little rest. Both werenearly exhausted, but with the courage of despair they swam on,neither admitting to the other that he was almost done for. They didnot dare to float, for that meant being carried beyond their haven ofsafety. If they passed the little indentation where Seawall lay itwas good-by to everything, for they would be carried into the widewaters of the outer bay and must miserably perish. This knowledgespun their failing strength out to the last slim thread.

  Away ahead the lights danced merrily. It seemed to Frank as if therewere millions of them jumping up and down and swinging sideways. Howfriendly they looked, but how utterly useless to help! How deadlyheavy his arm felt! There was no force left in him. How nice it wouldbe to lie still and rest! He stopped swimming and sank. The coldunder-current chilled him and awakened him to the fact that he wasgiving up. "I won't give up! I won't give up!" he said between hisclenched teeth, and he struck out stronger than before. Jimmy wassplashing feebly behind.

  "We're nearly there, old fellow," gasped Jimmy.

  "Nearly," returned Frank. "Keep it up. Let's shout." They stopped andshouted, but it was scarcely more than a croak and could not havebeen heard fifty yards. "Let's swim," said Jimmy, "shouting is nogood out here." His voice was scarcely more than a whisper. Againthey resumed their weary drive ahead.

  Suddenly out of the darkness between them and the shore came a hail:

  "Ha-yo, ha-yo, ha-yo!"

  Instantly the boys stopped swimming and turned their faces in thedirection of the sound.

  "Ha-yo, ha-yo, ha-yo!" came the call again, this time nearer. Theytried to answer the heartening hail but had not strength enoughto send their voices far. They stood in the water close togetherand with straining eyes tried to pierce the darkness. Then in themomentary lull of rushing waters they heard a drumming.

  "A motor boat!" cried Frank joyously. "And I see a light. It's comingthis way. Oh, it is going to pass us! Let's yell!"

  Together the two raised as loud a shout as they could.

  In a moment the drumming stopped.

  Again the two lads in the water shouted: "Here! here! here!"

  The drumming began and the light at the bow, which showed plainlynow, although the boat itself was still hidden, swung and lurched asthe motor boat swept around in a curve. With rescue in sight the boysthrew their last energy into a fusillade of shouts and soon, "Ha-yo,where are you?" came a hail from the boat.

  "Look out, look out, you'll run us down," yelled the boys.

  A bell rang; the motor stopped and cut silently through the wavesonly a few yards away.

  "Here, here!" shouted Frank.

  "Great C?sar!" said a voice from the boat, "it is some one in thewater. Stop her quick," as the boat was driving past the boys withher momentum. "Back her! Back her!" yelled the voice now in greatexcitement. "We've found them. They're in the water."

  In a less time than it takes to tell it the captain had maneuveredthe boat to within reaching distance of the two in the water. Stronghands reached over the sides and quickly pulled them to safety.Neither could stand. They sank down into the bottom of the boat.Frank looked up and saw his father standing over him.

  "Back to Flat Rock, quick," gasped Frank. "Quick, there are two boysout there!"

  "Why, Flat Rock is under water at this time of the tide," said theman at the helm wheel.

  "Not yet. Oh, not yet! We left two boys there, and they will bewashed off in a few minutes if you do not hurry."

  Instantly the captain ordered full power ahead, and away the boatshot in the direction of the lonely rock. The two lying in the bottomof the boat were made as comfortable as possible, and between themthey told the story of what had happened since they put out fromTurner's Point on that eventful night.

  As the boat neared the rock the men aboard raised a great shoutand were surprised to hear a feeble cry from what seemed to be thesurface of the water. Maneuvering carefully, guided by the calls fromthe water, the boat crept nearer and nearer to the sounds. No sign ofa rock was visible, but the strong light at the bow showed two ladsstanding, their hands clasped together, knee-deep in water. They wereon the very highest point of the rock. Quickly they w
ere pulled intothe boat, chilled almost to death by the long exposure. Like Frankand Jimmy, however, both Peters and Bates were soon wrapped in thecoats of the men aboard, and made as warm as possible.

  "Now," said Frank, "the only thing to be done is to find the _BlackDuck_."

  "We'll land you boys first," said the captain, and he drove his boatfor Seawall, while the steady purr of the motor deepened into a roar.The waves shot away from her bows in a shower of foam as she racedahead.

  What a yell went up from the Seawall people as the boat neared thePier, and the glad news was shouted over the water that the boys weresafe and sound! The rescued quartette were quickly put ashore. Asthey touched the float, queer figures that they were, all bundled upin the coats of the men, shouting was heard from the water. "We'vefound them!" called a voice.

  And even as they waited, in spite of the urgings to hasten to thehouse and dry clothes, a motor boat slipped into the circle of lightthrown by the big lamp on the end of the Pier, and behind it came the_Black Duck_ on the end of a tow line! And in the boat sat Lewis andCodfish quite calm and collected. They had been picked up by one ofthe searching parties.

  You can imagine what a reunion took place that night in theArmstrong house! Even Peters, the cause of some of the trouble, waswelcome; but that individual was none too comfortable, and was onlytoo glad when his father's automobile drew up at the door to carryhim to his own home. It was a night of jubilation, and the whole ofSeawall joined to make a celebration of the wonderful feat of the twoswimmers.