In a few kicks he brought up against the muddy bottom. Groping around about him in the cold, rayless regions, he suffered the current to bear him slowly along, now and then paddling enough to keep himself from rising.
He felt beneath him mud; nothing but mud; slimy, oozy, freezing mud with clam-shells and sticks and rocks embedded in it. Then, on a sudden, his hands felt something else—a smooth, not unfamiliar object—it was a leg—it was Tom! Yes, Tom!
Ned’s heart made a great leap of joy. With Tom in his arms he shot upward—it seemed an endless journey—and bursting, exhausted, but exulting, reached the surface.
The instant that he came in sight the boys—by this time the breakwater held them all—who had been watching and waiting, saw at once his burden, and swarmed to his rescue. They towed the unconscious Tom through a gap in the timbers, and stretched him in the sun upon the hot sand, and rubbed him, and rolled him, and worked so fiercely that in fifteen minutes he showed signs of life, again.
Another fifteen, and he moaned; at which Bob, who was much moved by the proceedings, howled in sympathy.
When he was able to sit up they bound his head, which was severely cut, dressed him, after a fashion, and hurried him in the skiff to town, Ned, as was fitting, happily nestling beside him, and the scull-boat desperately following in their wake.
A doctor sewed up Tom’s scalp, and it is a question who was the prouder—the boys of Ned, or Tom of his ten stitches.
As for Ned, himself—he was not proud, precisely; rather, he was thankful and satisfied.
The only thing that occurred to mar his pleasure was the action of Zulette—called Zu-zu—Tom’s little sister. She found him sitting by Tom’s chair, that evening, on the Pearce front porch; and with an “Oh, Ned! Aren’t you brave!” she ran up to him, and left on his face two tears and a kiss. Then she ran into the house, crying as hard as she could cry.
Ned wiped his cheek, and wished that she wouldn’t behave so silly. To be kissed by a girl—that was too much! And why was she crying, when Tom was safe!