Jack had held out his hand, but the bully ignored it. He turned aside, and whether the float tilted, or whether Snaith tottered because of a cramp in his leg, was never known, but he staggered for a moment, tried unsuccessfully to recover his balance, and then plunged into the lake at one of the deepest spots, right off the float.
CHAPTER II
THE NEW BOY
“There goes Dock!”
“Pull him out!”
“Yes, before he gets under the float!”
“He can’t swim! He’s too exhausted!”
These were some of the expressions the excited lads shouted as they surged forward to look at the spot where Dock had disappeared. A string of bubbles and some swirling eddies were all that marked the place.
The float began to tilt with the weight of so many boys on one edge.