As the girls went by, Burd made one more grab for it, nearly upsetting the canoe as he did so. He caught the paddle, but the effort had half turned the canoe about, and by the time it was started in the right direction again the girls had almost reached the pier.
The result was a winning of the race with a whole boat-length to spare.
“Look!” cried Jessie, as the boys, looking a little sheepish, came up to them. “Isn’t that a steamer coming in?”
“To be sure it is,” said Nell, with interest. “Suppose we wait and see who is on it.”
“Ah, that is just a stall to get out of giving us our revenge,” declared Burd, grinning. “Dare you to race us back to the dock.”
“Perhaps Burd could hang onto his paddle this time, if he tried hard,” said Darry, sarcastically.
But Jessie, with a laugh, shook her head.
“That wasn’t the bargain,” she reminded them. “The course of the race was from dock to pier, and we won it.”
“You shouldn’t have dropped that paddle, Burd,” said Fol, with a worried expression. “Really you shouldn’t! We shall never hear the end of this.”
“Oh, hush, and let’s watch this boat,” said Nell, with an eager eye on the approaching steamer. “Looks like a big one, and—just see—her decks are crowded with people.”