Katherine drew a few more designs in the sand and then rose and sauntered leisurely up the path. The rest lay still.
“Ouch, my neck’s getting sunburned,” said Slim about five minutes later, and picking up Hinpoha’s hat he set it on his head and panted across the beach toward the hill.
The Captain sent a pebble flying after him, and carried the hat from his head. Slim went on his way without stopping to pick it up.
“Slim is absolutely the laziest mortal on the face of this earth,” said the Captain, strolling down to the water’s edge and wading out to wash the sand off before he, too, started on the upward climb.
“Watch me,” he called, as he mounted a solitary 64 rock that just reared its nose above the surface of the water, “I’m going to make one more plunge for distance. Will you row out about forty feet,” he shouted to Gladys and Migwan, “and see if I can come out beside the boat?”
Migwan and Gladys obligingly rowed out as he directed and rested their oars, waiting for him to come. The Captain made a clean leap from the rock and disappeared beneath the surface of the water.
“I believe he’s going clear under the boat and coming out the other side,” said Hinpoha.
The interval was growing long and the Captain had not risen to the surface yet.
“He’s been under almost a minute,” said Uncle Teddy, springing up and watching the water keenly. “Where can he be?”
He sprang into a boat and hurried along the line the Captain had taken, peering down into the depths. The girls and boys on the beach all hastened down into the water and swam or waded after him. When he was half way out to the rowboat where Migwan and Gladys sat waiting, the Captain’s feet suddenly shot out of the water right beside him. Dropping the oars he caught hold of the feet and pulled the Captain into the boat.