“Bob’s overboard!”

“Bob!  Bob!  Where are you?” shouted the captain.  “Here’s a life-preserver!”

The boy heard a splash in the water near him and struck out for it.

“Back water!” he heard the captain cry.

“Aye, aye, sir!” replied the sailors heartily.

At the same time the captain shouted to Mr. Carr’s boat word of what had happened.  Bob was weighted down by his wet clothes and he felt he could not long keep up, but he was swimming strongly, hoping every moment one of the boats would pick him up.

“Here I am!” he shouted, but his voice did not carry far above the wind.  He began to have a hopeless feeling, as if he was doomed to drown there all alone on the vast ocean.  A nameless terror seized him.  Then, to his joy, his fingers touched something.  It was the floating cork life-preserver, and he knew he could keep himself up with it for a long time.

Once more he shouted, but there came no answering hail.

“Have they rowed away and left me?” thought the boy.

He held this idea but for an instant.  Then he guessed the truth of what had happened.  The boats had been swept on by wind and wave, and, in the darkness, it was impossible to see so small an object as the boy’s head in the water.

The sailors in the two boats rowed about, frantically urged on by Captain Spark.

“His mother will never forgive me!” he whispered to himself.  “I’d rather have lost a dozen ships than have Bob drown!”

But, though they rowed about the spot where he had disappeared, neither the captain nor Mr. Carr nor any of the sailors could find a trace of the boy.

“We’ll stand by until morning,” decided the commander, and they began their weary vigil.

Meanwhile Bob was swimming right away from the boats, for he could not get the right direction in the darkness.  He managed to fasten the life-preserver to him, and with the buoyancy of the cork to aid him he swam easily, though he did not make very fast progress.

After the first shock of terror was over Bob became calm.  He had a momentary fear of sharks, but he resolved not to think about these monsters or the sea, as it sent a cold chill over him and he found he could not swim so well.

“I’ll just paddle on until morning,” he decided, “and by that time maybe the men In the boats will pick me up.”

So, through the remainder of the night, he swam leisurely.  In spite of the storm it was very warm and the water felt pleasant.  If he had only had an idea of where he was, Bob would not have minded his position so very much.

It was just getting light when, happening to let his legs down for an instant to rest them, he felt his feet touch something.  At first he had an unreasoning terror that it might be a big fish—­a whale or a shark—­that had come up under him.  Then he felt whatever it was under his feet to be firm and hard.  A dim shape loomed up before him.