He knew that it would take but a short time to reach them, but would they remember what he had so often told them?
If they should change places in the boat and thus capsize it, no yacht could reach them in time to save them!
Now, with Polly and Rose beside him, safe and sound, he felt as if a heavy cloud had lifted.
After the lunch had been enjoyed, Uncle John asked for the story of their plight, and together they told it, telling of the start with Donald, of his sullenness, his anger, and his muttered threat.
"I don't know SURELY, TRULY, what he said, but I thought he said:
"'I'll get even with them,' and Polly thought so, too," concluded Rose.
"And after he'd said that, he wouldn't talk at all," said Polly.
"And we thought he'd fastened the boat when we saw him hitching one end of the chain to the big ring," said Rose, "and he waded out to the shore, and ran off up the beach with another boy."
"We shouted to him, and told him not to stay long, but he didn't answer, and didn't look back, but just kept on running until he met another boy, and then they ran away together," said Polly.
"The other boy had a fishing pole," added Rose.