Chapter IV.
"How do all the boats that go through the inlet manage, I wonder?" asked Tom. "They can't all get as wet as we did, and we saw that the boat that went through just ahead of us didn't take in any water."
"That was just her luck," Charley answered. "We followed right after her, and happened to catch it pretty heavy."
"But I don't believe it's always so rough at the inlet. If it is, nine boats out of ten would get full of water."
"I'll tell you how they manage it," exclaimed Charley. "They wait till the tide is just right, and that's what we ought to have done. Don't you see there is a swell coming in from the ocean, and it meets the tide going, out? Now if the tide was coming in, or if it was slack water, the inlet would be smooth enough. Boys, I made a mistake in starting before the tide changed, and, come to think of it, I've been awfully stupid about this whole business. If we had waited two or three hours, we could have gone through the inlet without the least trouble; that is, if the wind hadn't changed."
"It's going to change before long," remarked Harry. "The breeze is dying away now, and in a little while we'll have a dead calm."
They were now entering the narrow channel leading to Hempstead Bay. A few years ago a heavy winter storm threw up a low island of sand just outside of the beach at Far Rockaway. The channel between this island and the beach communicated with Hempstead Bay, and although the island injured the business of the bathing-house proprietors, it saved the Hempstead fishermen the risk of passing out to sea through the regular inlets.
As the wind died out it grew uncomfortably hot; and as the Ghost had passed beyond the houses at Far Rockaway, the boys took in sail, anchored, and had a splendid bath. After the bath they were, of course, ravenously hungry, and so proceeded to get dinner. By this time the breeze had completely vanished, and the Ghost was lying motionless on the glassy waters. Suddenly the low growling of thunder was heard. The clouds had come up from the west without attracting the notice of the boys, and they now saw that a thunder-shower would soon reach them.
"We're going to get wet again," said Joe, gloomily. "I think I'll quit wearing clothes altogether, so that I can manage to have something dry to put on."
"What's the use of getting wet?" said Harry. "We can rig up our canvas cabin, and we won't get a drop of rain on us."