Gull Rock was now an island!
A wide bay of water stretched between the rock and the shore, with only a few stones poking up here and there on what had been the pathway by which Rose and Sue had crossed. It was nearly high tide. As they looked, a great wave rolled in and covered Gull Rock with spray.
“Look at that!” cried Mr. Thornton. “My little Rose is out there! Oh, I must go to her!” And he dashed into the water and began to wade along the rocks of the hidden pathway. But the stones were slippery and he kept stumbling.
“You can’t do it!” yelled Mr. Smith. “We must get a boat.”
“There is no boat within half a mile,” cried Mr. Thornton, in despair. “I must try to reach her in this way.” Just then another great wave came rolling in. It broke against Mr. Thornton’s knees. He lost his footing and tottered. The pool into which he fell was over his head, and he would have drowned if he had not known how to swim. The water was growing deeper all the time. “I must swim over,” thought Mr. Thornton. “But even if I get there safely I don’t see how I can climb up onto those steep rocks. However, I must try.”
Just as he was about to strike out into deep water, there came a shout from Mr. Smith and the boys on the shore. “Tom! Tom!” they cried. “Hurrah for Tom!”
“Papa! Papa! come ashore!” cried Kenneth. “Tom has Rose in his boat!”
Sure enough! Tom’s dory was just rounding Gull Rock, coming fast towards shore, and in the stern sat Rose, very pale but safe.
You see, Tom was just passing Gull Rock in his dory when Rose gave that last cry for help. He had heard it, but at first he thought her little shrill voice was only a sea-gull screaming on the rock. But when he heard it a second time cry,—“Help! oh, help!” he pricked up his ears. No sea-gull ever spoke words so plainly as that. Tom shouted, “Hullo there!” in answer, and in a moment he heard a voice cry, “Tom! Tom! come quickly!”
“That is Rose’s voice!” thought Tom, surprised almost out of his wits. He rowed as close to the rock as he dared, on account of the surf. “Is that you, Rose?” he shouted. “Where are you?”