"I don't know," said poor Tom, dreadfully ashamed of himself. But he could not seem to make his arms work properly. He was really tired out.
Andy was not in the least tired. He was as strong as a horse, and he trod water beside Tom, wondering what to do.
"Try again, Tom," he said. "It's no use going back! We are more than half-way across."
Tom looked at the cliff of the third island. It seemed a long, long way away still. He tried again, striking out bravely with his tired arms. But after about six strokes he could not swim any more. He turned on his back and floated again.
Andy was really alarmed. "Tom, you can't do any more," he said. "I'D have to help you. I'll swim on my beak and you must lie on your front and put your hands on my shoulders. I can drag you along in the water that way, but it will be rather slow."
"Thanks, Andy," said Tom, very angry with his poor swimming, but quite unable to do anything else. He took hold of Andy's shoulders, and Andy, lying on his back with his head towards the third island, began to strike out valiantly with his brown legs.
It was very slow indeed. And now Andy began to get tired! Taking two people wasn't nearly so easy as only one, and he began to gasp. Now what were they to do? If they both got into difficulties it would be a very serious matter.
It wasn't long before neither Tom nor Andy had any strength left—and goodness knows what would have happened if Andy, striking out desperately with his legs, had not fit something hard beneath him. It was a rock! He felt about with his feet and at last discovered a rock below the water. They had come to a kind of rocky reef rather like the one they had climbed over from their own island to the second one—but this line of rocks was not uncovered by the tide.
"Tom! Tom! Put your feet down and feel where the rocks are!" gasped Andy. "We can stand there—and maybe feel our way along a bit till we come to the sandy bottom."
Tom soon found foothold on the rocks under the water. He felt better at once. He and Andy held hands iSarf together made their way very cautiously over tins i sunken rocks, bruising their poor feet, but getting gradually nearer to the shore. And at last they felt the rocks stop, and there was sand beneath their feet! Good,