“Why, turn the poor fellows slightly a one side and then rub them smartly to restore the circulation,” said the Captain promptly, suiting the action to the word; and, the next instant, he and the men were busily shampooing the boys till their arms ached. “Rub away, Hellyer; rub away!”
Rover growled at first on their touching Bob, apparently thinking the operation to mean an attack on his young master—he didn’t mind what they did to Dick. But, presently he altered his opinion on the subject, helping so far as he could by means of barking and licking Bob’s face and feet alternately to bring him back to consciousness.
In a short space, although to the anxious onlookers it seemed hours, the efforts of the Captain and coastguardsmen were rewarded by Bob drawing a deep breath, which, it must be confessed, was sadly impregnated with the odour of tobacco from the air which Hellyer had puffed into his lungs to induce respiration!
This tobacco made poor Bob cough, but it likewise caused him to get rid of the greater portion of the sea-water he had swallowed; and after that, he opened first one eye and then the other and, finally, his mouth, exclaiming, much to the delight of Rover, who was just then in the act of licking his face, “Good dog!”
“Bravo!” cried the Captain, stopping his shampooing process on Bob’s body and rubbing his own hands instead, in great glee. “Now we’ll do!”
As for Mrs Gilmour and Nellie, they expressed their delight by almost hugging the little newly-recovered life out of Bob and giving way to fresh tears, only this time they cried for joy and not from grief; while Rover could not contain himself, whining in a sort of hysterical fashion between his loud yelps, and jumping up on every one around as if to say, “Oh, I am so glad, my young master’s all right again!”
Aye, Bob was soon all right, getting on his feet and being able to stand without assistance, the only effect of his ducking being that he looked pale, as far as could be seen in the twilight.
He was, besides, most unmistakably, as wet as a drowned rat!
Dick took a little longer time to recover; but, shortly afterwards, he, too, was himself once more.
When things had arrived at this happy stage, the Captain, who had been put in a fidget by the crowd clustering round—‘a pack of star-gazing fools’ as he whispered pretty audibly to Mrs Gilmour—thought it was time to make a move.