"If we git a lot of grub, sir, couldn't it be hextra, and carn't we 'ave
a spread to-night, sir?"
"Something like that," agreed Madden, tossing his buoy into the water.
The two other swimmers followed example, then all three dived off the
twelve foot pontoon toward their floats. They came up shaking the water
from ears and eyes. Madden was immersed in tepid water. His men were
cheering stolidly. The schooner looked very, very far away now that he
was at the surface of the water. Between him and his goal streaked mazes
of sargassum. It suddenly struck the American that he might have trouble
getting through those barriers.
However, the three swimmers were progressing boldly.
CHAPTER VI
THE CUL DE SAC
Madden thrust head and shoulders into his float, a round canvas-covered
hoop of cork, and set off at an easy stroke. Now that he was flat on the
water, he could no longer see the lanes of seaweed, and he would be
forced to depend entirely upon signals from the dock.
Alongside Madden came Greer, and after them Caradoc. Like all Americans,
Leonard gradually increased his energy, and forged ahead at a rate
considerably faster than that required for long distance swimming. Once
or twice Caradoc warned the swimmers to go more slowly, and at each
monition Madden slowed up a trifle, but within a few minutes he would
again speed up unconsciously.
Pages:
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85