"Well, I'm going to take Marian for a quarter of an hour's drive," screamed Mamie; "so you needn't hurry. I can't wait until she rows the boat out to you. Good-by;" and before Jamie could make her understand that it would be possible for them to let the boat drift out to him on the ebb-tide, Marian appeared in her best hat, both girls hurried into the cart, and with a cry of farewell went rattling off down the avenue.
"Well, this is a pretty fix to be left in!" thought Jamie, as he stood up on the deck of the Scud and looked out over the river in search of a crab boy, or any other sort of boy with a boat.
But as it was quite early in the afternoon, there was not a single one visible. Then, as it was so very warm, Jamie decided to rest awhile before going on with his work, so he crawled in under the forward deck, where there was shade and a strong smell of damp wood, and pillowing his head on a sand-bag, lay there listening contentedly to the regular lap, lap of the river against the Scud, wondering if each little ripple wasn't a sort of water-sprite in disguise.
Of course it was but a wave's-breadth from thinking about water-sprites to dreaming about them, and as the weather was extremely sultry, and the slight motion of the boat very soothing, Jamie was soon seeing strange sights.
First there were only the tiny water-sprites that seemed to flit before him; then these gradually grew into dwarfs with large heads, which they took off and tossed back and forth like foot-balls, until finally they themselves changed into giants, while the heads were transformed into immense cannon-balls, which crashed into one another, as they whizzed through the air, with a terrible report.
Boom! bang! b-o-o-m! The noise was so loud that it woke Jamie with a start, and even then he heard it, for in truth it was not all a dream, but a fierce thunder-storm which had suddenly swooped down upon the calm afternoon, and churned the peaceful river into a raging sea.
Jamie quickly turned over, and backed out of his retreat, to be at once soaked through by the driving rain.
The Scud was rising and falling on the waves with mighty thuds, tugging at the cable like a spirited horse eager to be off, and even as the boy stood there, transfixed with amazement, the rope parted, and the liberated boat shot swiftly down the river with the wind and tide.
Then Jamie rushed to the stern, thinking he might be able to steer the yacht in such a way that she would speedily be blown ashore; but with a thrill of terror he discovered that there was no tiller on board, nor even an oar or boat-hook to take its place, and thus, the rudder was rendered practically useless. The next instant a zigzag flame lit up the darkened heavens with its awful light, followed by a succession of thunder-claps, which sent Jamie back under the deck with a heart that nearly failed him as he realized how helpless he was.
The river was a broad one, and not particularly deep, except in the channel, although now that the tide had only been falling for about an hour there was not much hope of the Scud running aground anywhere near home. Faster and faster she drifted, or rather sailed along, until Jamie, unable to longer lie there in suspense, came out from his refuge, and, prepared to face the worst, gazed out upon the wild scene about him.