This done they laid him flat on the floor and proceeded to administer artificial respiration. Slowly and carefully, but with the necessary vigor, they worked his arms while they inflated and deflated his chest with the pressure of their hands. All of the boys were white and most of them were very much frightened, and doubtless had it not been for the cool-headed direction of Buck Hart and Jeff Thatcher, Pell would not have fared so well as he did. But they had scarcely worked over him five minutes when color began to come back into his ashen cheeks and his eyelids began to flutter.
“His heart is getting stronger. Keep it up, fellows,” said Jeff, who was working his chest up and down.
“Good. He’s breathing feebly. Keep up the good work,” added Buck Hart.
And this gave the fellows encouragement, for they worked with a will, then, and in a remarkably short time Pell opened his eyes and stared glassily at the lights overhead.
“Oh, boy, I guess we’ve saved him,” exclaimed Thatcher in a relieved voice.
“I guess we have. But Birdie dear had a narrow squeak,” said Buck Hart.
“I’ll say he did. Suppose we should send for Mr. Rice?” asked Jeff, thinking of the coach for the first time.
“That’s what we should have done in the first place instead of monkeying around ourselves. But I don’t think we need to now. He’s coming through, and if we get the coach here he’ll raise a pack of trouble for Pell. Let’s not.”
Pell’s eyes were clearing. He was smiling now and he seemed to understand what the fellows had been saying, although he did not attempt to speak. Still they worked over him, and faster and faster he regained strength and consciousness, until presently he began to struggle feebly to sit up. They helped him into a rickety locker room chair and began to rub him dry with towels. The friction of the rubbing was as good as a stimulant to the boy and before long he raised his head and said weakly:
“What happened? Last I remember I tried a back dive off the float and my foot slipped. Must have cracked my head on something.” He felt of the back of his head and brought his fingers away with a pink stain on them.