Amy seemed beyond words, for she made no answer, merely clutching Betty's shoulder more tightly and holding on with a grimness born of terror. Then just as the gallant Little Captain felt her strength going and knew she could not hold out much longer, Mollie came abreast of her with Grace a few feet behind. Mollie shook the water from her eyes, gave one glance at Betty's face, then gave peremptory orders. "Give her to me, Betty," she directed. "I guess you're about all in. That's it, Amy; grasp my shoulder with your other hand. Get a good grip before you let go of Betty. That's the way. Now we're all right. Between us we'll have you in in a jiffy. All right, Betty? Do you need help yourself?" But Betty shook her head, her long steady strokes keeping her even with Mollie. In a moment Grace came up to them and directed Amy to put her free hand on her shoulder, and in this fashion they finally reached shallow water. They found that they were not a moment too soon, for as they got to their feet and stooped to lift Amy, they found that she had fainted. "Thank heaven that didn't happen out there," cried Betty, with a shuddering glance out over the treacherous water. Between them, fatigued though they were with the ordeal they had just gone through, they got Amy to the shore and began to work over her. It did not take very long to bring her back to consciousness, for Amy had a wonderful constitution and strong vitality. However, it seemed ages to the anxious girls who worked over her, and when at last she opened her eyes they were ready to cry with relief. "H-how do you feel?" asked Betty tremulously, for she was beginning to feel the reaction. "Are you all right?" "Don't try to get up," commanded Mollie, as Amy tried weakly to raise herself on her elbow. "Just lie still and you'll feel better in a minute," Grace added, while Amy looked from one to the other of them with wide, bewildered eyes. "What happened," she asked, then, as memory came sweeping back to her, she gave a little cry and covered her eyes with her hand. "Oh, girls," she cried, "I thought I was going to die!" "Yes, yes, we know," said Betty soothingly, as though she were talking to a little child, "but you're all right now, dear." "Don't try to tell us about it unless you want to," added Mollie. "I swam out farther than I meant to," Amy went on, as though they had not spoken. "And when I tried to get back I found that something was wrong with my right leg." She was shivering with exhaustion and the memory of the awful experience she had gone through, but when the girls tried to stop her she would not listen and hurried on feverishly.