“Mine’s wet,” wailed Hinpoha, “and–ouch! it’s cold. I forgot to hang it up after our swim last night. I think it’s cruelty to animals to make a person get into a wet bathing suit.”
“Serves you right for not hanging it up,” said Katherine imperturbably.
It was a chilly and unenthusiastic crew that manned the war canoe a few minutes later. The boys had been just as reluctant to leave their beds as the girls, though none of them would admit it. Katherine lectured them all on their doleful countenances and repeated her remarks about the test of sportsmanship. After that nobody dared open 112 their mouths about the unpleasantness of the weather; in dogged silence they dipped their paddles and pushed out into the greyness.
“Sing something,” commanded Katherine, “and put a little life into your paddling! Ready now, ‘We pull long, we pull strong.’”
And obediently they opened their mouths and sang, but it sounded all out of tune and they couldn’t keep together no matter how hard they tried.
“Did the lake ever look so big and cold to you before?” asked Hinpoha in a forlorn voice after the attempt at singing had been given up.
“And St. Pierre looks about a thousand miles away, and all grey and shabby,” said Gladys.
“Do you think it will rain so much today that we can’t go over to St. Pierre with the little launch engine?” asked the Captain.
“No telling,” said Uncle Teddy, vainly trying to stifle a telltale yawn. Uncle Teddy was secretly wishing that Katherine had overslept with the rest of them and did not have such a tremendous idea of good sportsmanship. But, being a thorough sport, he shook himself out of his drowsiness and shouted the paddling commands lustily.
“One, two! One, two! Click stroke! Ready, dip!”