But Tess knew that Ruth would experience a different emotion from anger. As long as the boat remained on even keel Tess did not see how much harm could come to them. But suppose they bumped into something?
“Let’s shout!” she urged, climbing upon one of the seats. “Maybe they will hear us.”
But the wind was blowing from the direction of Palm Island, and that and the tide carried the Isobel away from their friends, and carried the sound of their shrill voices away, too.
It was an hour later before anybody on Palm Island imagined that anything out of the way had befallen Tess and Dot Kenway.
There was good reason for the fact that Tess and Dot were not soon missed. The older sisters had left the little ones playing near the tent when they strolled away themselves to see if any success was attending the efforts of the boys and Mr. Howbridge in their search for water.
The heat of the day was over. The breeze had sprung up and laved their faces delightfully as the girls strolled toward the hill on which the big palm tree grew.
The two older sisters found that the boys and their guardian had gone around the foot of the hill which occupied the middle of Palm Island, but they started to mount the slope of the smooth eminence.
“I wish we could see some boat and attract its attention,” sighed Ruth, as they went on. “Then it wouldn’t matter about the water supply or about repairing the engine of the Isobel.”
“I guess we have been castaways long enough,” agreed Agnes. “It would be awful if we had to stay here much longer. Think of our nice dresses there at the hotel all going to waste.”
Ruth smiled indulgently. “We can wear them when we go back North.”