“All right. Swing off. I’m staying.” There was a bluntness about her tone, as for the first time she gave Dave an order.
“But why? You can’t—” Dave did not finish. She shot him a look. He had seen that look on her face before.
“Cast off the line,” he said. Shuffling to the post, the boy called Tony lifted the line and gave it a fling.
“Well?” Tony growled, giving Florence a hard look. “So you’re stayin’?”
Florence did not answer, for at that moment robust Katie appeared at the ship’s rail. One look at Florence and, boy-like, she vaulted the rail, sailed over three feet of water, and landed with a thud on the dock.
In sudden consternation, Florence saw that Jeanne, too, was preparing to try the leap to shore. By this time the distance was too great. She would fall into the water and might be injured by the boat’s propeller.
“No! Jeanne!” she screamed, “Don’t jump. Stay on the boat. They may need you.”
Laughingly Jeanne held up her hands in sign of surrender then disappeared down the hatchway.
“So you’re stayin’, too?” said the boy called Mike turning to Katie.
“You bet I’m stayin’,” said Katie. “Maybe we can lick that fire even if a whole army can’t.”