The Goldwing had taken in so much water that it was swashing about in the standing-room. Dory directed Nat to keep pumping. Dick Short was told to take a pail which belonged to the boat, and Corny was armed with a tin dipper. The members of the club were glad to have something to do, as almost any nervous person is; and they worked with tremendous zeal. In a short time the pump sucked, and not another dipperful of water could be taken up in the well.
"Now we are all right," said Dory. "We can take it easy now."
"We are almost over to Providence Island," added Corny.
"We shall be in smooth water in ten minutes more."
"But we are a long way from Burlington," suggested Thad.
"At least a dozen miles," said the skipper. "Of course you know that we can't get there, fellows, without going outside of Colchester Point. All the rest of the way is quite as bad as, if not worse than, we have been having for the last twenty minutes."
"Are we going right along to Burlington, Dory?" asked Thad in dismay at the information given by the skipper.
"I think not at present," replied Dory. "But you have been through this once before to-day."
"It wasn't half so bad as it is now," protested Corny. "It didn't begin to blow very hard until we got to Valcour's Island."
"Did the Missisquoi make better weather of it than the Goldwing?" asked Dory.