A sudden choke stopped me. I turned away so that my friend shouldn’t see my shame. “Dick, old man,” he said, soberly. “You mustn’t be too wild even now. It’s all right, I hope; only--well, it’s cold, and three of us to drift five miles on a spar----” But I wouldn’t heed a word of his admonition. The recoil from despair had sent my wits toppling clean head over heels. If nothing but a bowl had offered, I should have been as joyous as a wise man of Gotham to commit our destinies to it. To have some means, any, to escape this hideous nightmare of enchainment to a living death! “Hi! Gee-whoa! Get on!” I cried, chuckling hysteric, and drove Harry, holding the rope-end, up the sand before me. It paid out behind, and did not pull taut till we were well on the slope. Then, for the first time, we thought of Joshua, and turned to look for him. He was standing, with some suggestion of agitation, on the edge of the further drift. The water had crept up since we left him, widening ominously the channel between. We waved our hands to him, and he responded. “Look here,” said Harry. “He mustn’t be left in his ignorance; it’s torture. Besides---- Hold on, Dicky, while I go to him.” “Why don’t you bawl across?” “He’d never gather. We must have him ready, and I can’t explain here. Don’t drop the rope for a moment while I’m gone.” “All right. But why not have a pull first, to see if it’ll come free without?” “Mighty! Not for the world! It’s been rotting in the water: supposing it snapped? There’ll hardly be a strain when the tide lifts the thing, and gets under the seat of the old girl--you believe me. Did you see her name?” “No.” “Well, it’s _The Good Hope_. Hurrah!”--and he scuttled from me, and the next moment was squattering through the water of the little strait. I watched his chestnut ball of a head lovingly as it drew a line across the channel; and I danced with excitement again to see his streaming shoulders emerge presently, and Joshua, as near wrought-up as I, run out knee-deep to help him ashore, and support him--as if he needed support--and kneel to wring out his clothes, while the faint gabble of their voices came to me. And then I turned to look seawards once more, and, behold! the comb of a little wave struck the spar-end, and seethed up and over it, and the sight made my heart flutter. “Harry!” I screeched; and gripped the rope as if I feared some unnamable wickedness were seeking to snatch it out of my hands. I did not dare to turn again; but watched the hurrying tide fascinated; and, almost before I knew it, Harry was at my side. “Lord, Dicky!” he whispered, his eyes glistening; “it comes, don’t it! Don’t let go! We mustn’t give it a chance.”