In a twinkling the young major fastened one end of the rope he had indicated around his body under his arms. Then, without further ado, he leaped into the ocean. Another wave was coming in, and this swept him down under the rocks exactly as it had swept Fred. The young major felt himself hurled forward, and then, of a sudden, his feet struck some sloping sand. He pushed his way onward and presently found himself standing up in water less than a foot deep and in almost total darkness.
“Fred! Fred!” he called out, as soon as he could speak.
“Who is that?” was the quick response, and the next moment his cousin stood beside him. He was panting for breath.
“I’ve found the opening,” spluttered the youngest Rover. “But I didn’t do it in the way I supposed.”
“Are you hurt?”
“Not in the least, Jack. But I don’t know how I’m going to get back—or how you’re going to get back, either,” went on Fred. And just then another wave came rushing in on the pair, coming up to their waists and then receding.
“I’m fast to a rope. You catch hold of me and we’ll both get out, I think, without a great deal of trouble.”
“This must be the passageway, Jack.”
“Perhaps. But just now we’d better return to the scow. The others are all afraid you were drowned.”