The Crew of the Water Wagtail | Page 5

and anxiously at his friend. His heart sank,
for he saw at a glance that it was not possible to follow him. The deed,
if done at all, must be done by his friend alone. Great, therefore, was
the rebound of joy in the boy's heart when Paul said--
"Now, Olly, attend to me. My life, under God, may depend on close
attention to my signals and the management of the line. I can trust your
father and the men to haul me back to the ship if need be, but I will
trust only you to pay out and read my signals. Observe, now, let there
be no slack to the line; keep it just taut but without any pull on it, so
that you may feel the signals at once. One pull means pay out faster,
two pulls mean haul me aboard, three pulls is all right and fix the big
hawser to the line so that I may haul it ashore. Now, Olly, I trust to you
to read my signals and act promptly."
Oliver's heart was too full to speak. He looked at his friend with
swimming eyes and nodded his head.
"Men," said Paul to the crew, "let me beg you to obey the boy's orders
smartly. If God wills it so, we shall all be saved."
He leaped over the side as he concluded. Another moment and he was
seen to rise and buffet the plunging waters manfully. Great as was the
muscular strength of the young man, it seemed absolute feebleness to
those who looked on; nevertheless he made headway towards the shore,
which was strewn with great boulders with a low cliff behind them. It

was among these boulders that his chief danger and difficulty lay, for
his strong frame would have been as nothing if dashed against them.
Quickly he was lost to view in the hurly-burly of foam and spray.
With the utmost care did Oliver Trench perform his duty. It required
both vigour of hand and delicacy of touch to keep the line right, but it
was manipulated by hands whose vigour and touch were intensified by
love.
"Ease off!" he cried, looking back impatiently at the strong fellows who
held the slack of the line.
The men obeyed so readily that the line ran out too fast and the boy had
much ado to check it. Just as he got it sufficiently taut, he felt what
seemed to him like two pulls--"haul me in!" Could it be? He was not
certain. In an agony of anxiety he held on, and was about to give the
signal to haul in, when his father, who watched his every movement,
instantly said, "Give him another second or two, Olly."
Just then there was a strong single pull at the line.
"Pay out!--faster!" shouted Oliver, and, at the same moment he eased
off his own feelings in a tremendous sigh of relief.
After that the line ran steadily for a few seconds, and no signals came.
Then it ceased to run, and poor Oliver's fears began to rush in upon him
again, but he was speedily relieved by feeling three distinct and
vigorous pulls.
"Thank God, he's safe," cried the boy. "Now then, pass along the
hawser--quick!"
This was done, the light line was attached to a three-inch rope, and the
party on the wreck waited anxiously.
"Give it a pull, Olly, by way of signal," suggested Master Trench.
"He did not tell me to do that, father," returned the boy, hesitating.

"No doubt he forgot it in the hurry--try it, anyhow."
A hearty pull on the line was accordingly given, and they soon had the
satisfaction of seeing the hawser move over the side and run towards
the shore. When it ceased to run out they knew that Paul must have got
hold of the end of it, so, making their end fast to the heel of the
bowsprit, they waited, for as yet the rope lay deep in the heaving waters,
and quite useless as a means of escape.
Presently the rope began to jerk, then it tightened, soon the bight of it
rose out of the sea and remained there--rigid.
"Well done, Paul," exclaimed the skipper, when this was accomplished.
"Now, Olly, you go first, you're light."
But the boy hesitated. "No, father, you first," he said.
"Obey orders, Olly," returned the skipper sternly.
Without another word Oliver got upon the rope and proceeded to
clamber along it. The operation was by no means easy, but the boy was
strong and active, and the water not very cold. It leaped up and
drenched him, however, as he passed the lowest point of the bight, and
thereafter the weight of his wet garments delayed him, so that on
nearing the shore he