“And I don’t like crabs, anyhow,” said Janet. “Oh, dear, Teddy! what can we do? We’re drifting away awful fast!”
Indeed this was so. The tide was now running out more strongly, having turned since the Curlytops started crabbing. In the punt they were being rapidly carried out of the little bay.
“Can’t you do something?” Janet begged.
“Maybe I can push us ashore with the handle of the crab net,” Ted replied. “But pretty soon we’ll see another boat and we’ll holler for them to help us.”
This was a new thought, and he and his sister looked out from their small bay, across the wide expanse of water, thinking they might sight another craft that would come to help them. However, as it happened, there was no other boat anywhere near them. Sometimes the water seemed dotted with boats, like raisins in a cake, and again there would be scarcely one. It was so now—the Curlytops appeared to be the only party out crabbing.
“I guess I’d better push along,” remarked Teddy.
“Maybe you can push us to one of those islands out there,” suggested Janet, pointing with her hand to several small ones that showed green down the sparkling bay.
“Maybe I can,” agreed her brother.
Using the handle of the crab net as a pole, Teddy began shoving the boat along. At first this was easy, for they were in a shallow place, and it was not far to the bottom. Teddy tried to push the boat over to one of the oars, for he knew he could work much better if he had one of the broad blades. But the tide had taken them out of reach.
“Well, if we get on one of the islands, maybe we can get some oars there,” said Janet.