"Why do I say that? Why 'cause he never hailed any on us who knew him, and was ready to take him aboard. Don't matter how good a swimmer a man is, he'd be glad of a hand out on a dark night, and with the tide running so gashly strong." "You may be right," said Leslie, "but I can't go back like this. Now, my lads, who's for going on?" "All on us," said the fisherman who had first spoken, and the boats separated to continue their hopeless task. All at once there was a faint streak out in the east, a streak of dull grey, and a strange wild, faint cry came off the sea. "There!" cried the detective; "pull, my lads, pull! he is swimming still. No, no, more towards the right." "Swimming?--all this time, and in his clothes!" said one of the coastguard quietly. "That was only a gull." The detective struck his fist into his open left hand, and stood gazing round over the glistening water; as the stars paled, the light in the east increased till the surface of the sea seemed steely grey, and by degrees it grew so light that near the harbour a black speck could be seen, toward which the officer pointed. "Buoy," said the nearest rower laconically, and the officer swept the surface again. Then there was a faint shade of orange nearly in the zenith, a flock of gulls flew past, and here and there there were flecks and splashes of the pale silvery water, which ere long showed the reflection of the orange sky, and grew golden. The rocks that lay at the foot of the huge wall of cliff were fringed with foam, and wherever there was a break in the shore and some tiny river gurgled down, a wreathing cloud of mist hung in the hollow.