It was useless for Harry, Hal, or Bert to try to explain to anyone about the duck, for the action of the life-saver told a different story. Another guard had come down to the beach now, and was getting his ropes ready, besides opening up the emergency case, that was locked in the boat on the shore.
"Wait till they find out," whispered Hal to Bert, watching the guard in the boat nearing the white speck on the waves. It was a long ways out, but the boys could see the guard stop rowing.
"He's got him," shouted the crowd, also seeing the guard pick something out of the water. "I guess he had to lay him in the bottom of the boat."
"Maybe he's dead!" the people said, still believing the life-saver had been after some unfortunate swimmer.
"Oh, he's got him! He's got him!" cried Freddie, joyfully, still keeping up the mistake for the sightseers.
As the guard in the boat had his back to shore, and pulled in that way, even his companion on land had not yet discovered his mistake, and he waited to help revive whoever lay in the bottom of the boat.
The crowd pressed around so closely now that Freddie's toes were painfully trampled upon.
"He's mine," cried the little fellow. "Let me have him."
"It's his brother," whispered a sympathetic boy, almost in tears.
"Let him get over by the boat," and so the crowd made room for
Freddie, as the life-saver pulled up on the beach.
The people held their breath.