"It's going to be hard work," said Charley, "but I think we can do it. We can take the throat halyards and use them for a tackle, and we ought to be able to hoist that mast out."
"Let's try the plan we tried at the Coney Island bridge," said Joe.
"We had two colored men to help us then," said Charley, "but they're not here."
"Somebody will be here before long. Look at the road. There's a great deal of travel on it, and if we wait a while we'll be sure to have some help."
"But we don't want to ask people to help us," urged Charley. "We ought to be able to get along without help."
"If people want to help us, why shouldn't we let them?" said Harry. "Let's get everything ready for hoisting the mast out, and then if anybody comes along and offers to help us, it would be ridiculous for us to say no."
By the time the halyards were unrove, a wagon-load of men on their way to the beach, drove up, and stopped to look at the Ghost. "You can't get that mast out alone," said one of the men; "we'll just lift it out for you." They did so, and then, after the boat had been brought to the other side of the bridge, they were about to step the mast, when one of them said, "If you boys are going right through to Shinnecock Bay, you'd better not step that mast till you get to the other side of the Quogue bridge."
"Is there another bridge that we've got to go under?" asked Charley.
"There's one on Quogue Neck, about a mile from here, and it won't be worth while for you to try to sail that distance, and then have to get your mast out again."
This was so evident that the boys at once decided to pole across Quantuck Bay. The mast was therefore laid along the deck, and after rowing the Ghost through the deep channel into the shallow water of Quantuck Bay, they poled her swiftly toward the entrance of the channel that led to Shinnecock Bay.