She stepped over the back just before they reached it, and then she went at once to the front of the boat in order not to be in the way of Wopole when he got on board. In a moment the boat was dancing on the water, and Wopole sprang in over the stern. The boat shipped a good deal over the bows, and the Princess got rather wet. However, she was too excited to care much about a little water.
In a few moments Wopole had hauled up the sail, and the boat began to move through the dancing waters. Just at this moment Treblo reached the edge of the sea, and saw the boat well out of his power.
‘Come back!’ he cried to Wopole.
‘Don’t you!’ said Mumkie.
‘You needn’t be afraid!’ Wopole called as loud as he could. ‘I shan’t come back!’
‘But you’ve got the Princess on board!’
‘You bet!’ remarked Wopole with familiar vulgarity now he was out of the Prince’s reach.
The Princess thought it was her turn to say something, so she called: