The dog jumped about the children, but he kept nearer to Sue. Maybe he thought she belonged to him, now that he had pulled her from the water. Perhaps he had saved Sue's life, though the little girl might have gotten out herself, or Bunny might have pulled her from the water.
"He's a nice dog," said Sue. "I wish we could keep him."
"Maybe we can. He doesn't seem to belong to anybody, and nobody lives on this island."
"He was shipwrecked too," said Sue. "Or maybe he wanted to play Robinson
Crusoe with us."
"Robinson didn't have a dog—anyhow, mother didn't read about any in the story," replied Bunny. "But he had a goat."
"We can pretend this dog is a goat," remarked Sue, as she patted the big shaggy fellow, who barked in delight, and wagged his tail.
"We'll take him home in the boat with us," decided Bunny. "I hope mother lets us keep him."
Getting into the boat was easy enough for Bunny and Sue, for they only had to step over the side, the boat being partly on shore. And the dog jumped in after them. He seemed very glad Indeed that he had found two such nice children to love, and who would love him.
But when Bunny tried to push the boat away from the island, as he had seen his father and Bunker Blue often do, he found it was not easy. The boat was stuck fast in the soft mud of the edge of the island.
"I—I can't do it," Bunny said, puffing, as he pushed on the oar, with which he was trying to shove off the boat. "I can't do it, Sue."