"Won't I, though! Look here! count three, and then give me a tiny push."
As Jack and the March Hare entered the saloon they heard Armitage say, "Very well. One, two, three; now go!"
There was a faint, quickly-checked cry, and then a little splash. Toppin was under the water.
The same instant the March Hare—hat, boots, and all—had leapt in, and was fighting his way towards the deep end.
Jack's first impulse was to tear off his coat and follow the Hare's example; but when he saw a little red head appear and immediately be captured, and when he realized that Bacon, Simmons, and Armitage were all swimming to the rescue, he refrained.
Although the March Hare was the first to lay hold of Toppin's crest, the next minute he was himself in need of rescue. The Hare had only advanced to the swimming stage when both hands and feet are absolutely necessary, and the pause to seize his friend had sufficed, when combined with the weight of his garments, to sink him; so Toppin dived for the second time, in company with the March Hare.
"Quick!" yelled Jack, "or there'll be two drowned! Shall I come?"
But the pair had risen again, and were clutched and violently wrenched apart by Armitage and Bacon. For the March Hare's grip of the red locks was very tight.
Bacon found Toppin fairly easy to land, but the Hare, in full walking costume, was quite another matter, and Simmons's help was required. Besides, Toppin kept quiet when commanded to, while the March Hare fought and struggled, and had to have his head thumped severely. Fortunately the steps were not far off, and Jack awaited them there.