Page:Bedford-Jones--Boy Scouts of the Air at Cape Peril.djvu/54

 water of the ocean to Lake Herring to prevent the latter from becoming pestilential or furnishing a breeding place for mosquitoes. The ocean mouth of this spillway was formed of piles driven deep into the sea-bed and projecting some distance from the shore line. From the end of it, excellent diving into sufficiently deep water was offered.

With a whoop that started the echoes in the woods beyond the sandhills, the boys made a wild rush for the diving place. Fast and furious was the fun of the swimmers as they plunged one after the other into the briny waters, speeding up the ladder and repeating the performance to "keep the pot boiling." Once Cat followed too close on the gawky Legs, tripped him, and sent him sprawling into the water.

"Gee! that was a buster!" he shouted. "Don't be too rough on the poor ocean, Legs. You might bruise it. You must have taken swimming lessons in the correspondence school and lost most of 'em in the mail," yelled the persecutor as his victim came up sputtering and vowing direst vengeance. As Cat plunged in, a stingaree wrapped itself about his ankles and