‘There comes something up the beach.’

‘What the devil is that thing?’

‘Why, it looks like a boat.’

‘Why, certainly it ’s a boat.’

‘No, it ’s on wheels.’

‘Yes, so it is. Well, that must be the life-boat. They drag them along shore on a wagon.’

‘That ’s the life-boat, sure.’

‘No, by—, it ’s—it ’s an omnibus.’

‘I tell you it ’s a life-boat.’

‘It is not! It ’s an omnibus. I can see it plain. See? One of these big hotel omnibuses.’

‘By thunder, you’re right. It ’s an omnibus, sure as fate. What do you suppose they are doing with an omnibus? Maybe they are going around collecting the life-crew, hey?’

‘That ’s it, likely. Look! There ’s a fellow waving a little black flag. He ’s standing on the steps of the omnibus. There come those other two fellows. Now they’re all talking together. Look at the fellow with the flag. Maybe he ain’t waving it.’

‘That ain’t a flag, is it? That ’s his coat. Why certainly, that ’s his coat.’

‘So it is. It ’s his coat. He ’s taken it off and is waving it around his head. But would you look at him swing it.’

‘Oh, say, there isn’t any life-saving station there. That ’s just a winter resort hotel omnibus that has brought over some of the boarders to see us drown.’

‘What ’s that idiot with the coat mean? What ’s he signalling, anyhow?’

‘It looks as if he were trying to tell us to go north. There must be a life-saving station up there.’

‘No! He thinks we’re fishing. Just giving us a merry hand. See? Ah, there, Willie.’

‘Well, I wish I could make something out of those signals. What do you suppose he means?’

‘He don’t mean anything. He ’s just playing.’

‘Well, if he’d just signal us to try the surf again, or to go to sea and wait, or go north, or go south, or go to hell—there would be some reason in it. But look at him. He just stands there and keeps his coat revolving like a wheel. The ass!’

‘There come more people.’

‘Now there’s quite a mob. Look! Isn’t that a boat?’

‘Where? Oh, I see where you mean. No, that ’s no boat.’

‘That fellow is still waving his coat.’