Just then the first gust of wind rippled the water around the boat and went whistling into the mist.
A “tickle” is a narrow passage of water between two islands. It is also (as here used) a narrow passage leading into harbour.
CHAPTER XV
In Which it Appears to Jimmie Grimm and Master Bagg That Sixty Seconds Sometimes Make More Than a Minute
Ruddy Cove is deep––vastly deep––except in one part. That is in Burnt Cove within the harbour. There at low tide it is shallow. Rocks protrude from the water––dripping and covered with a slimy seaweed. And Burnt Cove lies near the tickle to the sea. You pass between the tickle rocks, bear sharply to the right and are presently in the cove. It is a big expanse, snugly sheltered; and it shallows so slowly that there are many acres of quiet water in which the little fellows of Ruddy Cove learn to swim.
Ezekiel Rideout’s cottage was by Burnt Cove; and Bagg wished most heartily that he were there.