The cove for which they were bound was on the further side of the chain of rocks, nearly two miles from Rockquay, and one of the roads ran along the top of the red cliffs that shut it in, with no opening except where the stream emerged, and even that a very scanty bank of shingle.
In spite of all assurances, Anna could not be easy about her darling, and when afternoon came, and the horses were brought to the door, she coaxed Gerald into riding along the cliffs in the Anscombe direction, where there was a good road, from whence they could turn down a steep hill into the village, and thence go up a wild moor beyond, or else continue along the coast for a considerable distance.
As they went out she could see nothing of the boys, only rocks rising through an expanse of mud, and the sea breaking beyond. She would have preferred continuing the cliff road, but Gerald had a turn for the moor, and carried her off through the village of Anscombe, up and up, till they had had a lively canter on the moor, and looked far out at sea. When they turned back and had reached the cliff road, what had been a sheet of mud before had been almost entirely covered with sparkling waves, and there was white foam beating against some of the rocks.
'I hope Adrian is gone home,' sighed Anna.
'Long ago, depend on it,' returned Gerald carelessly; but the next moment his tone changed. 'By Jove!' he exclaimed, and pointed with his whip to a rock, or island, at the end of the range of rocks.
He was much the more long-sighted of the two, and she could only first discern that there was something alive upon the rock.
'Oh!' she cried, 'is it the boys-I can't see?'
'I can't tell. It is boys, maybe fishers. I must get out to them,' he replied. 'Now, Anna, be quiet-use your senses. It is somebody, anyway. I saw the opening of a path down the rock just now,' and he threw himself off his horse, and threw her the bridle. 'You ride to the first house; find where there is a Coast-guard station, or any fisherman to put out a boat. No time to be lost.'
'Oh, is it, is it-' cried the bewildered girl, with no hand to feel for her eyeglass. 'Where shall I go?'
'I tell you I can't tell,' he shouted in answer to both questions, half angrily, already on his way. 'Don't dawdle,' and he disappeared.
Poor Anna, she had no inclination to dawdle, but the two horses were a sore impediment, and she went on some way without seeing any houses. Should she turn back to the little road leading down from Anscombe? but that was rough and difficult, and could not be undertaken quickly with a led horse; or should she make the best of her way to the nearest villas, outskirts of Rockquay? However, after a moment the swish of bicycles was heard, and up came two young men, clerks apparently, let loose by Saturday. They halted, and in answer to her agitated question where there was a house, pointed to a path which they said led down to the Preventive station, and asked whether there had been an accident, and whether they could be of use. They were more able to decide what was best to be done than she could be, and they grew more keenly interested when they understood for whom she feared. Petros White, brother to Mrs. Henderson, and nephew to Aunt Adeline's husband, was one of them, the other, a youth also employed at the marble works. This latter took the horses off her hands, while Petros showed her the way to the Coast-guard station by a steep path, leading to a sort of ledge in the side of the cliff, scooped out partly by nature and partly by art, where stood the little houses covered with slate.
There the mistress was looking out anxiously with a glass; while below, the Preventive man was unlocking the boat-house, having already observed the peril of the boys, but lamenting the absence of his mate. Petros ran down at speed to offer his help, and Anna could only borrow the glass, through which she plainly saw the three boys, bare-legged, sitting huddled up on the top of the rock, but with the waves still a good way from them, and their faces all turned hopefully towards the promontory of rock along which she could see Gerald picking his way; but there was evidently a terrible and fast- diminishing space between its final point and the rock of refuge.
Anna was about to rush down, and give her help with an oar; but the woman withheld her, saying that she would only crowd the boat and retard the rescue, for which the two were quite sufficient, only the danger was that the current of the stream might make the tide rise rapidly in the bay. There were besides so many rocks and shoals, that it was impossible to proceed straight across, but it was needful absolutely to pass the rock and then turn back on it from the open sea. It was agonizing for the sister to watch the devious course, and she turned the glass upon the poor boys, plainly making out Adrian's scared, restless look, as he clung to the fisher-lad, and Fergus nursing his bag of specimens with his knees drawn up. By and by Gerald was wading, and with difficulty preventing himself from being washed off the rocks. He paused, saw her, and waved encouragement. Then he plunged along, not off his feet, and reached the island where the boys were holding out their arms to him. There ensued a few moments of apparently hot debate, and she saw, to her horror and amazement, that he was thrusting back one boy, who struggled and almost fell off the rock in his passion, as Gerald lifted down the little fisher-boy. Of course she could not hear the words, 'Come, boy. No, Adrian. Noblesse oblige. I will come back, never fear. I can take but one, don't I tell you. I will come back.'
Those were Gerald's words, while Adrian threw himself on the rock, sobbing and screaming, while Fergus sat still, hugging his bag. Anna could have screamed with her brother, for the boat seemed to have overshot the mark, and to be going quite aloof, when all depended upon a few minutes. She could hardly hear the words of the Preventive woman, who had found a second glass: 'Never you fear, miss, the boat will be up in time.'
She could not speak. Her heart was in wild rebellion as she thought of the comparative value of her widowed mother's only son with that of the fisher-boy, or even of Fergus, one of so large a family. She could not or would not look to see what Gerald was doing with the wretched little coast boy; but she heard her companion say that the gentleman had put the boy down to scramble among the rocks, and he himself was going back to the pair on the rock, quite swimming now.
She durst look again, and saw that he had scrambled up to the boys' perch, and had lifted Adrian up, but there was white spray dashing round now. She could not see the boat.
'They have to keep to the other side,' explained the woman. 'God keep them! It will be a near shave. The gentleman is taking off his coat!'
Again there was a leap of foam-over! over! Then all was blotted out, but the woman exclaimed-
'There they are!'
'Oh! where?'
'One swimming! He is floating the other.'
Anna could see no longer. She dashed aside the telescope, then begged to be told, then looked again. No prayer would come but 'Save him! save him!'
There was a call quite close.
'Mr. Norris, sir, put off your boat! Master Fergus-Oh! is he off?' and, drenched and breathless, Davy sank down on the ground at their feet, quite spent, unable at first to get out a word after those panting ones; but in a minute he spoke in answer to the agonized 'Which? Who?'
'Master Fergus is swimming. The young sir couldn't.'
Anna recollected how her mother's fears and entreaties had prevented Mr. Harewood from teaching Adrian to swim.
'Gent is floating him,' added the boy. 'He took me first, because I could get over the rocks and get help soonest. He is a real gentleman, he is.'
Anna could not listen to anything but 'The boat is coming!'
'Oh, but they don't see! They are going away from it!'
'That's the current,' said Mrs. Norris. 'My man knows what he is about, and so does the gentleman, never fear.'
There was another terrible interval, and then boat and swimmers began to approach, though in what condition could not be made out. A dark little head, no doubt that of Fergus, was lifted in, then another figure was raised and taken into the boat; Gerald swam with a hand on it for a short distance, then was helped in, and almost at once took an oar.
'That's right,' said Mrs. Norris. 'It will keep out the cold.'
'They are not coming here,' exclaimed Anna. 'They are going round the point.'
'All right,' was the answer. ''Tis more direct, you see, no shoals, and the young gentlemen will get to their own homes and beds all the quicker. Now, miss, you will come in and take a cup of tea, I am sure you want it, and I had just made it when Norris saw the little lads.'
'Oh, thank you, I must get back at once. My little brother-'
'Yes, yes, miss, but you'll be able to ride the faster for a bit of bread and cup of tea! You are all of a
