Then they saw a man in the dress of a fisherman look up and stand staring at them as if he did not believe they were human children.
"I suppose he thinks we're mermaids," said Terry. "I hope he won't, because then he might leave us here all night."
"We haven't got fishes' tails," said Turly; "anyone could see that. I don't believe he's such a stupid. See, he's pointing us out to another man! Oh, they'll come for us in a boat! And then it will be fun to have discovered an island."
"I think it's quite an old island," said Terry. "We haven't discovered it."
"Now don't you go and spoil things," said Turly. "I mean to discover it."
They soon saw that the fishermen were really coming for them, and not a bit too soon, for the tide was rising round their rock, and, besides, they were so cold and hungry that their courage was nearly exhausted.
"Now, will ye tell me where did the pair of ye come from?" said one of the men. "Is it down out of heaven ye are, or up out of the sea? By my word I'm not sure at all about takin' the like o' ye into my boat."
"Hold your tongue, man," said the other. "Don't you see the childher's teeth are chatterin' out of their heads with the cold. Come in here, little lady and gentleman, and then ye can tell us what bad ship threw you out of it to where ye are."
"It wasn't a ship; it was a boat," said Turly. "And it was a queer boat. First it ran away with us, and then it threw us out and made off with itself."
"We got in to look at it only," said Terry. "It was tied to a rock, and the rope got loose and the tide carried us away."