“We can’t,” said Wyn, and she explained their predicament.
“Can’t stop those sails?” gasped Tubby. “Why–why–Where’s the man who owns the old contraption?”
They explained further. Tubby went around to the other side and caught a glimpse of Dave playing engineer. The chums shouted back and forth to each other for some time.
Tubby wanted to see if he couldn’t stop the sails by making a grab at them.
“You do it, Tubby, and the blamed things will throw you a mile through the air,” declared Dave. “Besides, we don’t want to smash the farmer’s mill. We have done enough harm as it is. So, there’s no use in backing one of those heavy wagons into it and wrecking the sails. No. I guess we’ve got to stand it here for a while.”
They heard one of the girls calling, and Tubby lumbered around to see Frankie gesticulating from the window.
“Oh, Tubby! don’t leave us to starve–and we’re so awfully thirsty, too,” cried Wyn, pushing her friend to one side. “Get us a bucket of water from the well, first of all.”
“Gee! how am I going to get it up to you–throw it?” cackled the fat youth.
“You get the bucket–and a rope,” commanded Wyn.
“But if he can throw a rope up to us, we can get out of this fix,” Ferdinand cried. “Can’t we, Dave?” he asked of his captain, who had come up the ladders for a breath of fresh air.