“All right,” said Vince; and, putting his hands to his lips, he shouted out, “Daygo, ahoy!”
“Ahoy!” cried the old man, without turning his head; and he kept on thumping away till the boys had reached him, when he slowly turned to face them, and threw down the great pebble.
Vince was too thorough to hesitate, and he opened the business at once, in his outspoken way:
“Here, Joe!” he cried; “we want you to lend us your boat to go for a sail.”
“To lend you my boat to go for a sail?” said the old man, nodding his head softly.
“Yes; and we shan’t be very long, because we must be back to tea.”
“And you won’t be very long, because you must be back to tea?”
“Yes; and we won’t trouble you. We can get it out ourselves.”
“And you won’t trouble me, because you can get it out yourselves?”
“That’s right.”