Toward them came two persons and a horse drawing a dory.
“Here’s your boat!” called Bob. “And, say, this isn’t an island at all; it’s some old point! This gentleman lives about half a mile down the road, and he’s going to help us.”
The second person proved to be a big chap of twenty-eight or thirty in yellow oilskins.
“How are you, boys?” he said. “Where does she lie?”
They pointed out the location of the sloop.
“Struck on the bar,” said the man. “Well, we’ll have your friend safe in no time. Get up there, Prince!”
The horse moved down to the water, and was unhitched.
“He had a beast of a chill, and I made him stay behind at the fire,” answered Bob. “But he said he was coming along in a minute. We had an awful time finding anybody. Got off the road, and pretty near wandered back into the bay on the other side over there. This chap’s all right. He was out harnessing that plug of his before we were through telling him.”
“Which of you fellows can row?” asked the stranger.
“Well, I’ve only got two pairs of oars, so I guess one will be enough.” He turned to Bob. “Want to come?”
“Sure,” said Bob, “unless--” He looked at Nelson.
“No, go ahead, old chap,” Nelson answered. “You did the hard work, and ought to have the glory. I’ll stay here and look after Tommy.”
So Bob scrambled into the dory, and the stranger pushed off. They had launched at a point some little distance up the beach, and presently, when they had struggled through the breakers, they turned the boat’s nose out to sea, and worked along toward the bar. It was wet work, but not dangerous, for with careful management a dory will lift itself over the worst sea that ever ran. When they approached the sloop the stranger hailed, but there was no answer.
“You don’t suppose he jumped and lost the rope, do you?” he shouted to Bob.
“Don’t believe so,” was the reply. “He’s probably too scared to answer.”
They worked the dory around to the lee of the sloop, and found that Bob’s theory was the correct one. Will lay in the cockpit, very scared and very, very seasick. He opened his eyes when they called to him, but evidently he was incapable of making any further effort. The stranger dropped his oars, waited his chance, and then leaped to the slippery deck. Bob held the dory as near as he could. The stranger picked up the boy and shoved the limp body over the side.