"Well done, Peter!" exclaimed both men as Craddock, breathless with his exertions, rejoined them.
"Had to cut it, sir," declared the Sea Scout apologetically.
"Only what I expected," rejoined Mr. Clifton. "Take the helm while we lower the mizzen topsail and mainsail. Keep her jogging along, Peter."
Still further reducing canvas occupied the next ten minutes. The Thetis, under staysail and mizzen, was now doing a bare three knots, while to make matters worse the wind had veered and was now dead against her.
"Not much chance of making Mapplewick before dark," commented Mr. Grant.
"No, but we must carry on," added his companion. "There's no harbour we can make for nearer than Winkhaven, and I don't want to retrace our course all that way."
"She'll make a bad performance to wind'ard without the mainsail," remarked the Scoutmaster. "The best thing we can do is to patch the canvas and trust to luck that it will hold."
"Our belated meal first," decided the owner. "We'll heave-to for half an hour."
Once more the stove was lighted, and presently the famished crew was enjoying a hearty meal, in spite of the disordered state of the yacht below and aloft.
The plain but satisfying repast over, the Thetis was put on her course again, and Mr. Grant and Peter tackled the torn mainsail. This they temporarily repaired by joining the rent edges by herring-bone stitching, putting on in addition a patch of canvas cut from the damaged jib.