“I come here often,” the captain reassured her. “I’ll look in now and then to see how he’s doing. I’m not worried about the bird being lonesome. I’m more afraid he’ll be chilled. Pigeons need a warm, snug nest.”
The trio walked on down the road toward the beach. A breeze was blowing off the sea, sending in long, rolling waves.
“Lots of white horses today,” remarked the captain.
Vevi didn’t know what he meant until he told her that whitecaps on the waves were called white horses in seamen’s slang.
“A large wave is a smokehouse,” he explained. “The long rolling ones are beachcombers. That little wave over by the pier is a white nose.”
Vevi turned her head to see the wave the captain had pointed out. The little “white nose” snubbed itself against the post of the pier and vanished even as she watched.
At the shore end of the pier where a long line of cars had been parked, a crowd had gathered. Amid the throng, Vevi saw Miss Gordon and several of the Brownies.
“Why, what is everyone doing there?” she asked quickly. “Maybe there’s been an accident!”
“Something does seem to be wrong,” agreed the captain.
Vevi and Jamie raced on ahead of him to learn why such a large crowd had gathered.