The Boston train pulled into the North station at eight o'clock, and as he was pretty hungry, Jack thought he would go into a restaurant just across the street, for supper, before going to his uncle's, as he lived in Winthrop, a town about five miles from the city, across the harbor. As he left the station, he caught sight of a man elbowing his way through the crowd, that made his heart thump.
"On my soul, I believe that's Reed," he said half aloud, starting towards him. As he pushed forward he saw the man turn, and for an instant their eyes met, but the next moment the man had turned, and before Jack could get to him, he was lost in the crowd. He rushed about here and there, but to his dismay, he could not find him.
"That was he, sure as guns," he thought, "and I believe he recognized me."
He realized that his chances of finding him were virtually nil, and with a heavy heart, he entered the restaurant, and after a hasty supper, took a car for the ferry.
It was a very dark night, and a drizzling rain was falling as he stepped on the ferryboat. There were not many people on board, and what few there were, at once went into the cabin to escape the rain. Jack, however, had on a raincoat and stood by the rail, watching the lights of the passing boats, and thinking what hard luck it was to find Reed so soon only to lose him again. The boat was about half-way across the harbor, which is about a mile and a half wide, when Jack felt himself seized from behind, and before he knew what had happened, he was hurling through the air into the dark water below.
CHAPTER XI.
JACK IN TROUBLE.
It seemed to Jack that he plunged down to a great depth, and when he finally rose to the surface, he was gasping for breath. His first thought was to free himself from his raincoat, and as soon as this was done, he struck out for the east side, as he thought he was a little more than half way across. Although a powerful swimmer, the choppy sea, caused by a brisk wind, and his clothing, which seemed to drag him down, made his progress difficult. He weakened rapidly, and before he was half way to the shore, fear struck him that he might not be able to reach it. Raising himself as far out of the water as possible, he looked about him, but it was very dark, and he could see but a few feet. No help was at hand, and summoning all his strength, he started to swim once more toward the lights, which now seemed farther away than at first. But his strokes were now very weak and his progress slow; still he kept doggedly on, for he was not a boy to give up so long as a particle of strength remained.
After what seemed to him hours of struggle, he felt that he could keep up but a few moments more, and a dread fear seized his heart as he gave up hope. He thought not so much of himself, but of the father and mother, who might never know what had happened to him, and the thought nerved him to one more last effort.
"It's no use," he thought, after taking a few feeble strokes, "I can't hold out any longer, I'm so tired."
He tried, but his arms seemed numb and utterly refused to obey his will, and he was about to go under, when he felt himself seized by the collar and in another moment, found himself lying on his back on the bottom of a skiff, gasping for breath.