Page:Under MacArthur in Luzon.djvu/109

Rh a flash he was overboard and swimming to his chum with all haste. But he could not reach him and had to dive.

"Foolish boy!" cried the officer in charge. "He'll be drowned, too. Cease rowing, men, or you'll run into one or the other of them." And the sailors lay to, watching for the reappearance of the pair.

As Si went down for a third time, Walter caught him by the foot. He pulled hard and soon had his chum in his arms. He noticed that the line was now loose, having snapped a few feet away from the young fisherman's wrist.

"This way!" he cried, as he came up. "Don't hit us!"

"All right," answered the officer, and slowly the rowboat came up beside them. "Is he free of the line?"

"Yes."

"Good! Here, pass him this way. That's it. Now climb in yourself. By the look of him, I reckon you went after him in the nick of time."

It was no light task to enter the jollyboat in such a sea, and one of the sailors had to give Walter a hand aboard. "He isn't dead, is he?" was the eager question.