Part 3 (2/2)
[Illustration: DAVE CAUGHT HER UNDER THE ARMS, AND, TREADING WATER, BROUGHT BOTH HER AND HIMSELF TO THE SURFACE--_Page 24_]
It was the strangle-hold of a drowning person, and our hero ht have fared badly had not assistance been at hand But as it was, Roger and Phil reached out, and while Shadow and Ben balanced the rowboat, this pair hauled the girl on board Then they aided Dave in getting in
”Oh, oh! Is sh--she d--dead?” gasped the girl, as she looked at the woman who had collapsed on the stern seat
”No, she has only fainted,” answered Roger ”She'll soon be over it”
”How brave you are to co to Dave ”I--I thought I was going to drown!” and she shuddered
”It was a pretty close call,” answered Phil ”My friend here jumped overboard just in the nick of time”
There was just then little ti for assistance In the meantime, there was another cry from the deck of the steam yacht
”Don't jump overboard! It isn't necessary The fire is out!”
”hello! Did you hear that?” queried Dave ”Somebody said the fire is out”
By this tiht of those who had leaped overboard The boys succeeded in getting on board two others, a short, fatman
”That settles it,” snorted the fat man, as he sank down on one of the seats ”No more ocean pictures for me! All the dramas I act in after this will be on dry land”
”And I sha'n't go to sea again for Mr Appleby,” answered the girl who had been rescued She was rapidly recovering, and so was the woman on the stern seat
”Got everybody?” yelled a man from the deck of the steam yacht And by his cap and uniform the boys knew he must be the captain of the vessel
”I think so,” answered the first let_
”It was foolish of therumbled the captain of the steaer”
”No danger!” snorted the let_ ”How do you make that out, with all that fire?”
”It wasn't fire--that is, not much of it,” was the answer ”It waspicture company on board, and they had a lot of fireworks, some of 'eo off--why I don't know--and they set fire to the cloth, and et that down it made an awful smoke But all the stuff was in a zinc-lined coer The worst hen those rockets went off and shot up right out of the hatchway”
”And are you sure the fire is entirely out?” asked the mate of Mr
Lawrence's vessel
”Just about We'll have the er”
After a little ht close to the steam yacht, from the side of which a ladder had been lowered
”O dear! Are we to go back to that boat?” queried the girl Dave had saved fro