on the under planking of the transport's side. In order to loosen the line he had to lean far over the rail until he was almost on the point of losing his balance.
"Be careful, Si—" began Walter on glancing up, when of a sudden something occurred which filled him with dismay. A fin flashed in the water, the bait was swallowed, and the line straightened out with a jerk. The inner end of the line was around Si's hand, and in an instant the Yankee lad spun overboard and disappeared beneath the bosom of the ocean!
"Help!" cried Walter, leaping up. "Man overboard! Help!"
"What's that?" cried an officer standing near, and then as he took in the situation he called to another officer to stop the transport, which was done as speedily as possible.
Although startled, Walter kept his wits about him and looked around for a life-preserver. None was near at hand, and he had to run along the deck for a distance of twenty-five feet in order to obtain one. With this in hand, he sped back to the rear rail, hoping to see his chum on the top of the water once again.
