The two boys worked manfully over Big O’Brien. First they got all of the water out of his lungs. Then with him lying prone in the bottom of the boat they started artificial respiration, as Jack had been taught it by the football coach at Drueryville Academy. For fully fifteen minutes the boys labored over the foreman while Sims and the rest of the crew looked on in silence. And gradually their efforts told, for O’Brien’s eyelids quivered once or twice and finally opened. Two red spots began to show in his ashen cheeks, and after a few moments he regained consciousness.
“Phwat happened?--ugh--O, shur-re I know. The big wave caught me, huh?” he said rather thickly as he sat up.
“It didn’t on’y ketch ye but it smashed t’ life ha’af outen ye,” said Lanky Sims.
“How about Mr. War-rner,” demanded O’Brien, turning and looking toward the big rock. Then for the first time the men in the boat thought of the engineer.
There on the top of Cobra Head stood the lighthouse builder. He had seen the accident and the rescue as well, and Jack could guess what his feeling must have been as he waited there for a signal to tell him whether his foreman was alive or dead.
“Wave to him, O’Brien. Wave your hand and show him that you are still alive,” cried Jack. And the big Irishman struggled to his feet and, holding on to Lanky Sims, waved and shouted as loud as he could.
Mr. Warner answered the signal with a warning wave, which told the men in the boat quite plainly that he wanted them to keep off and not attempt to land another man.
“Sur-r I’d like t’ thr-ry anither fling at it jist t’ show meself that I can’t be bate be a duckin’, but if the boss sez ‘No,’ thin ‘No’ ’tiz. Come on, Lank, thur-rn t’ boat and we’ll go back t’ th’ island.”
During the return journey Jack and Ray kept their eye on Mr. Warner. They saw him scrambling about on the rock, making measurements and marking off various sections of the rugged Head. Then they saw him send a signal to the men on the cliff who waited to fire a lifeline to him. They saw, too, the puff of smoke from the little brass cannon and they watched the rocket with the line trailing out behind it describe a big arc over the rock and fall into the sea beyond, dropping the rope almost into Mr. Warner’s hands.