Four Afloat: Being the Adventures of the Big Four on the WaterBarbour, Ralph Henry
General
Four Afloat: Being the Adventures of the Big Four on the Water
Barbour, Ralph Henry
Boats and boating -- Juvenile fiction; Friendship -- Juvenile fiction
“Oh, they probably think we’re chasing our tail,” answered Dan with a
grin. “Have you eaten all that lunch?”
“No, but we will if you don’t hold her steady.”
“That’s all right, Nel; I’ll keep her as straight as a die; honest
Injun!”
The others returned to the table and finished their repast. Then Nelson
relieved Dan, and the latter went below in turn. Later he and Tom washed
up the few dishes, and when they came up on deck found the _Vagabond_
opposite Marblehead Light. It was after one o’clock and considerably
warmer, as the breeze had lessened somewhat. Nelson and Bob had already
shed their sweaters, and the others followed suit. Nelson was pointing
out the sights.
“That’s Marblehead Rock over there, where they start the races from. The
yacht clubs are on the other side of the Neck. Salem and Beverly are in
there; see?”
“What’s the light ahead, to the left?” asked Dan.
“Baker’s Island Light,” answered Nelson. “Only you ought to say to port
instead of to the left.”
“Sure! Off the port bow is what I meant. A sailor’s life for me!”
“We’ve got all day to make twelve miles,” said Nelson, “so we’ll go
inside of Baker’s and keep along the shore.” He turned the wheel and the
_Vagabond_ swung her nose toward the green slopes of the Beverly shore.
Tom insisted on having a turn at the wheel, and so Nelson relinquished
his place and went below to look after his oil cups. Under Bob’s
guidance, Tom held the boat about a quarter mile offshore. There was
lots to see now, for the water was pretty well dotted with sailing craft
and launches, and the wooded coast was pricked out with charming summer
residences.
About half-past two the gleaming white lighthouse at the tip of Eastern
Point was fairly in sight, and they rounded Magnolia, a cheerful jumble
of hotels and cottages. A little farther on Nelson pointed out Norman’s
Woe, a small reef just off the shore. Dan had never heard of the “Wreck
of the Hesperus,” and Tom spouted two stanzas of it before he could be
stopped. Bob had laid the chart out on the cabin roof, and was studying
it intently.
“Where do we anchor?” he asked. “According to this thing there are about
forty-eleven coves in the harbor.”
“Well, we were in here a couple of years ago,” answered Nelson, “and
anchored off one of the hotels to the left of that island with the
stumpy lighthouse. I guess we’ll go there to-day. Here’s the bar now.”
The _Vagabond_ was tossing her bow as she slid through the long swells
in company with a fishing schooner returning to port.
“‘_Adventurer_,’” read Dan, his eyes on the bow of the schooner. “That’s
a good name for her, isn’t it? I’ll bet she’s had adventures, all
right.”
“That’s the life for you, Dan,” laughed Bob. But Dan looked doubtful.
“Well, I don’t know,” he answered. “I’d like to try it, though.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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