"And why not?"
"I am afraid we could not get in very far, unless we had a boat."
"Then why not use our lifeboat?"
This suggestion met with instant favor.
"True, I had forgotten about that."
It did not take George long to reach Harry with the news that the cave was to be explored by means of the boat. After considering the matter for some time it was decided to put off the trip for several days at least, principally because the late heavy rains had, in all probability, so filled the cave that they might be stopped in their progress before going very far.
It should be stated that when they entered the cave the first time, water was found about two hundred feet from its mouth and that barred their further progress. On the second trip the water had receded, so they could go in six hundred feet before coming to the water's edge. The late rains may have filled the cavities, thus making progress still more difficult.
Harry was carrying forward the boat construction, and by the occasional aid of George was bringing the hull to a completed state. While this was being done, George was at work with the loom, slowly weaving out the fabric for the sails. As the mast had been stepped back over six feet from the prow, it was concluded to make a mainsail and a jib, a small triangular sail which is attached to the forwardly projecting jib-boom. The two sails would afford greater speed than a single sail, and that was one consideration. The other was, that with two sails the mast would not need to be so long, and the dimension of the mainsail could be reduced, and still get the same efficiency.