I called Sarah long ere either of you were stirring!" This was a climax; and so, without making any reply to aunt Polly's pertinent statement of fact, save a stifled laugh at the expense of Miss Nell, who had prided herself on having, as she thought, got the start of them all, Bob expediting his dressing in the most summary fashion, hurried off as speedily as possible across the common for his matutinal dip.
He was accompanied, as a matter of course, by Rover, who was ready and waiting for him on the terrace outside, barking and bounding about like a demented dog who had parted company with his usual stock of common- sense.
"Down, Rover!" cried Bob, when the faithful fellow, in the exuberance of his joy on seeing his young master come out of the house, leaped up and licked his face, preventing him from closing the door properly as he was about to do.

"Behave yourself, sir!" Rover, however, thought there were different ways of "behaving himself," the chief in his estimation being to show his affection to those who were kind to him, whom he loved with all the intensity of his great canine heart; and so, ranking obedience to orders as only second to this potent law of his life, he frisked and jumped and playfully tousled Bob until he finally made him start at a swinging trot for the beach, the frolicsome retriever galloping in advance one moment, the next stopping in his mad career onward to give out a loud bark and wag his tail in encouragement to his master to try and catch him up, if he could! Bob bent his steps towards the coastguard-station on the eastern side of the sea-wall, near the new pier, which was the regular meeting-place for him and Dick every morning for their bathe; and here, punctually at "six Bells," or seven o'clock, he found on the present occasion his fellow- swimmer along with the Captain.
The latter, he could hear as he approached, was having an animated discussion with Hellyer, the chief boatman, on the subject of torpedoes, which Hellyer believed in, but which the Captain utterly pooh-poohed, saying that in his opinion they were of little, if any, use in naval warfare.
He was laying down the law with great unction when Bob came up to them.
"Don't tell me," he cried, "of your `whitehead' going twenty knots an hour and exploding its charge of gun-cotton under a ship's bottom; for, where and what would those on board the ship be doing all the time-- standing still, I suppose, to be shot at and doing nothing in their own defence ?" "Aye, that's true, sir," said Hellyer; "but--" "Remember, too," continued the Captain, "the torpedo, even of the most improved type, can only keep up this speed of twenty knots for a distance of five hundred yards, within which range the boat discharging it would have to approach before sending it off at the vessel attacked, which of course would be fool enough to let it come to such close quarters without riddling it?
Oh, yes, you tell that to the marines!" Hellyer laughed.
"You carry too many guns for me, sir," said he good-humouredly.

"I can't stand up against you, Captain, once you tackle me fairly!" "Too strong, eh ?" rejoined the Captain, triumphant at getting the better of his opponent.

"Of course I am! Your argument, Hellyer, won't hold water.

Besides, should one of those spiteful little inventions succeed in getting near an ironclad without being seen and sunk, the torpedo nets of the ship would prevent the infernal machine, as these new- fashioned fallals were called in the old days, from exploding against her hull.