“Some of us must stay by the schooner to attend to the fastenings.”
“Two can stay, and three go.”
“No, three had better stay, and two go. It’s too hard work.”
“Pooh! two will be enough. But who will they be?”
“Well, we must toss up for it. That’s the only plan. We must do it at once. There’s no time to lose.”
“Suppose, before we do anything more,” said Bart, “that we all slip ashore and put our clothes on. For my part, I’m chilly; and though I could easily get some more quilts, yet it seems unnecessary to do so when I have my own clothes so near. Besides, here are Phil and Tom, whose teeth are already chattering.”
A loud laugh followed; after which they all sprang, one after the other, into the water, and hurried to the shore. There they dressed themselves; and as the vessel was fairly aground, with the tide rapidly going out past her, they threw themselves on the beach, and prepared to decide on the ones that would stay behind.
“There!” cried Phil, suddenly springing to his feet. “I knew it was!”
“What? what?” exclaimed all the others.
“A sail!—out there by the headland!”