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Taranaki Daily News, 12 October 1929, Page 25 (Supplement)

Last week we left the Professor and the chums on the rock, wondering how they were ever going to get home again. They gazed over the sea in case there should be a vessel about to help them, but there was not a sign of anything. Gwen was the most angry of them all; she growled and grumbled at the poor Professor as though he had landed them there on purpoose. “I shouldn’t be surprised if we were drowned,” she complained. 1 1 don t know why I agreed to come, I’m sure.” "I’m awfully sorry,” said the Professor. "Hi'” shouted Richard, “Look! There’s a storm approaching.”

Richard was quite right when he said a storm was approaching..-It grew darker and darker, the waves got bigger and bigger, and the sea became rougher and rougher. And then the storm came on them with a r oar. Gwen was swept right off her teet, and verv nearly into the sea, which made her more angry than ever. The rain simply poured down, but this did not matter much as the waves had made them wet enough to start with. „ "Hold on,” cried the Professor, ‘lts only a squall. You can be sure the chums clung on for all they were worth.

The Profesor had spoken the truth. It was only a passing storm which went as quickly as it had come. ~ , “My word,” said Gwen, sitting down, “Why did I come fishing? How many squalls a day shall we have, and shall I ever get dry again?” The Professor was on the point of soothing her when Richards gave a shout. “Hi!” he cried, “Look. There’s a plank of wood.” „ "Catch it,” yelled the Professor, "and we’ll try to float ashore on it. “Hear! Hear!” screamed Polly, “Hold it, Richard.”

Richard succeeded in dragging the plank to their rock, and then the Professor outlined a plan to enable them to float ashore. "I’ll sit astride at the end, and Richard and Gwen can lean against me, he said. “Polly can stand on the other end. By moving' my legs in the water, I can propel the plank to the shore." . “Be careful,” she cried. “I don’t want another ducking. “Right,” replied the Professor, “Are you all ready?” “Let her go,” called Polly.

Mow the poor Professor never did anything right in his life. He was never able to say exactly what happened on this occasion, but he always admitted that he did something wrong, and both Gwen and Richard declared it was all his fault. Having got the whole party on the plank, he began to move his legs gently in the water, but instead of moving forward, they began to go backward. “Hi! We’re going back,” shouted Polly. "Eh?” exclaimed the Professor, looking round suddenly Perhaps it was that sudden turn that caused the trouble—anyway, before they knew what had happened, they all went splashing into the water again.

Fortunately, planks of wood do not sink, and the Professor, Gwen and Richard, were able to cling on when they came to the surface. Polly had jumped high in the Mr but she also managed to land on the plank when it had righted itself. There they clung, hopelessly, wondering what disaster would befall them next. But everytNng came right in the end. They had been so busy hanging on to their plank that thpv had not noticed a boatman approaching. > u W y “Here! What’s the game?” he shouted, “This is a funny way to go bathing, ,Sn t But the chums and the Professor were too .tired and miserable to argue; they were only anxious to climb into the boat and be rowed ashore. Gwen says she will never, never go fishing again.