“The dock!” the others echoed wonderingly. The sudden relief was so great that they were feeling rather dazed.
“You mean it’s our dock—Lighthouse Island?” Connie asked stupidly, and Paul’s answer was impatient.
“I guess it is—looks like it,” he said. “But then it doesn’t matter much what dock it is as long as it’s a dock. What do you people say to going ashore?”
What they said was soon shown by the eagerness with which they scrambled on to the dock. And when they found that it was really Lighthouse Island dock their thankfulness was mixed with awe.
“Why, it’s a miracle!” said Vi, staring wide-eyed about her.
“That’s just about what it looks like,” agreed Chet soberly.
“A miracle!” exclaimed Ferd derisively. “It’s just that the wind and the tide happened to be going in the right way, that’s all.”
“Well, it’s a miracle that the wind and the tide did happen to be going the right way,” retorted Laura.
“Yes, and it’s another miracle,” said Billie softly, “that even with the wind and the tide going the right way we didn’t run into something before we got here.”
“I guess we did come pretty close to it,” said Teddy soberly, staring out into the heavy mist that still showed no sign of lifting. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I do know that I’m mighty glad to be on the good old ground again. It beats the water, just now.”