The boat gradually picked up speed, but the breeze was so unsteady that the girls did not attempt to cross the river. Instead, they sailed in midstream, proceeding toward the commercial docks. The mists did not entirely clear away and Penny began to shiver.
“Don’t you wish you had one of my sweaters?” asked Louise, grinning.
Penny shook her head as she reached to pour herself a cup of steaming coffee from the thermos bottle. Before she could drink it, a large, flat vessel loomed up through the mist ahead.
“Now don’t try to argue the right of way with that boat,” Louise advised uneasily.
“Why, it’s a barge!” Penny exclaimed, bringing the dinghy about. “I do believe it’s adrift!”
“What makes you think so?” Louise asked, staring at the dark hulk.
Penny maneuvered the dinghy closer before she replied. “You can see it’s out of control. There’s no tow boat anywhere near.”
“It does seem to be drifting,” Louise acknowledged. “No one appears to be aboard either.”
Realizing that the large vessel would block off all the wind if she approached too close to it, Penny kept the dinghy away. The barge, almost crosswise to the current, was floating slowly downstream.
“How do you suppose it got loose?” Louise speculated.