The lads of the training ship _Mercury_ were manning one of the
boats to go ashore. There was a heavy wind blowing--it was still
dark--when one of the boys, named Newitt, fell into the water and was
swept away by the tide.
Two of his messmates at once dived in to his rescue. One of these,
Yateman, was quickly picked up by the ship's boat in mistake for the
drowning lad. But the other boy, Driver, a Patrol Leader belonging to
the 8th Southampton (_Mercury_) Troop, succeeded in getting hold
of Newitt and swam towards the pier with him.
But Driver was hampered with the suit of oilskins which he was
wearing, and in battling with tide and wind, he himself was nearly
drowned, although he was a good swimmer.
A boat which put out from the pier got to him just in time to save
him, and he was pulled on board in an unconscious condition, from
which he did not recover for nearly two hours. The poor fellow,
Newitt, had slipped from his grasp and was drowned.
Still, Driver had done all that he possibly could. He had not thought
of the danger to himself, but on the first alarm had, with the true
spirit of the Scout, at once sprung to the assistance of his comrade
in distress, and for this he was awarded the Bronze Cross, the Scouts'
highest award for gallantry.
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