The little apartment glowed with ruddy light, and to Ruby, who had just escaped from a scene of such drear and dismal aspect, it appeared, what it really was, a place of the most luxurious comfort.

Dove was keeping time to the music with little puffs of smoke, and Joe was in the middle of a prolonged shake, when Ruby passed through the doorway and stood before them.

Dove’s eyes opened to their widest, and his jaw dropt, so did his pipe, and the music ceased abruptly, while the faces of both men grew pale.

“I’m not a ghost, boys,” said Ruby, with a laugh, which afforded immense relief to his old comrades.  “Come, have ye not a welcome for an old messmate who swims off to visit you on such a night as this?”

Dove was the first to recover.  He gasped, and, holding out both arms, exclaimed, “Ruby Brand!”

“And no mistake!” cried Ruby, advancing and grasping his friend warmly by the hands.

For at least half a minute the two men shook each other’s hands lustily and in silence.  Then they burst into a loud laugh, while Joe, suddenly recovering, went crashing into a Scotch reel with energy so great that time and tune were both sacrificed.  As if by mutual impulse, Ruby and Dove began to dance!  But this was merely a spurt of feeling, more than half-involuntary.  In the middle of a bar Joe flung down the fiddle, and, springing up, seized Ruby round the neck and hugged him, an act which made him aware of the fact that he was dripping wet.

“Did ye swim hoff to the rock?” he enquired, stepping back, and gazing at his friend with a look of surprise, mingled with awe.

“Indeed I did.”

“But how? why? what mystery are ye rolled up in?” exclaimed the smith.

“Sit down, sit down, and quiet yourselves,” said Ruby, drawing a stool near to the fire, and seating himself.  “I’ll explain, if you’ll only hold your tongues, and not look so scared like.”

“No, Ruby; no, lad, you must change yer clothes first,” said the smith, in a tone of authority; “why, the fire makes you steam like a washin’ biler.  Come along with me, an’ I’ll rig you out.”

“Ay, go hup with ‘im, Ruby.  Bless me, this is the most amazin’ hincident as ever ’appened to me.  Never saw nothink like it.”

As Dove and Ruby ascended to the room above, Joe went about the kitchen talking to himself, poking the fire violently, overturning the camp stools, knocking about the crockery on the dresser, and otherwise conducting himself like a lunatic.

Of course Ruby told Dove parts of his story by fits and starts as he was changing his garments; of course he had to be taken up to the lightroom and go through the same scene there with Forsyth that had occurred in the kitchen; and, of course, it was not until all the men, himself included, had quite exhausted themselves, that he was able to sit down at the kitchen fire and give a full and connected account of himself, and of his recent doings.