He chuckled at the recollection. But while he had been talking he had not been idle, and the Sally S., as his launch was called, had been making slow but steady progress until she was outside the cove and headed north. Soon, too, he ran her inside the protecting spot of land of which Dolly had spoken to Bessie, and they were in such smooth water that, even had any of them had any tendency toward seasickness, there would have been no excuse for it.
In half an hour he stopped the engine, and cast his anchor overboard. He wore no shoes and stockings, and now, rolling up his trousers, he jumped overboard.
“Hand me the dunnage first,” he said. “I’ll get that ashore, and then I’ll take the rest of you, one at a time.”
“Indeed you won’t,” laughed Eleanor. “We’re not afraid of getting our feet wet. Come on, girls, it’s only two feet deep! Roll up your skirts and take off your shoes and stockings, and we’ll wade ashore.”
She set the example, and in a very short time they were all safely ashore, with much laughter at the splashing that was involved.
“Mr. Salters could run the Sally S. ashore, but it would be a lot of trouble to get her afloat again, and this is the way we always do here. It’s lots of fun really,” Eleanor explained.
Soon they were all ashore, and inspecting the camp which had been laid out in preparation for them.
“Real army tents, with regular floors and cots, these are,” said Eleanor. “Sleeping on the ground wouldn’t be very wise here. And there’s no use taking chances. I’m responsible to the mothers and fathers of all you girls, after all, and I’m bound to see that you go home better than when you started, instead of worse.”
“I think they’re fine,” said Margery. “Oh, I do love the seashore! How long shall we stay, Miss Eleanor?”
“I don’t know,” said the Guardian, a shade of doubt darkening her eyes. “You know, Margery” —she spoke in a low tone—” that seems to depend partly on things we can’t really control. There seems to me to be something really quite desperate about the way Mr. Holmes and his friends are going for Bessie and Zara.