The children fastened strong double strands of rope to the front of the ship. Then, holding firmly to the rope, they clambered over the rocks back to the sandy beach, wet through. The tide came up higher and higher and the children had to stand up to their waists in the water, for the rope would not reach right to the shore.
"Look! There's an enormous wave coming!" shouted Andy. "Pull on the rope, all of you, as soon as the wave strikes the ship! Heave-ho!"
They all pulled—and every child felt the ship give a little as the wave fined her and the rope pulled her. "Now here's another one!" yelled Andy. "Heave-ho!"
They all heaved at the rope with all their might Again they felt the ship move a little. The two big waves ran up the shore and wetted the children to their chins!
"Hang on to the rope, girls," cried Andy. "If we get many waves Kke that you may be swept off your feet. But as long as you've got hold of the rope you'll be all right."
The waves were smaller after that—and then the wind began to blow stiffly again, and the waves grew bigger. An enormous one reared its green Jiead far out to sea.
"There's a monster coming!" shouted Tom. "Look-at it! It will sweep us off our feet!"
"But we'll pull at the boat first!" yelled Andy, who was tremendously excited. He really felt that they could get the boat off the rocks. "Now—heave-ho, heave-ho!"
The wave struck the boat and the rope dragged at her at the same moment She shivered and groaned as she tried to escape from the rocks that held her. She slipped a few feet forward.
The giant wave struck the children next, and all of them went down under it, even Andy. They floundered in the foaming waves, and Jill swallowed about a pint of salt water. Mary was very angry because Tom put his foot into her neck, but Tom didn't mean to. The wave struck him so hard that he was flung right off his feet, and had to strike out to get himself upright again.