And they watched and watched, in breathless admiration, first the
cliffs, and then the bow, and then the sun, and then the cliffs and
bow again, till the last tiny rim of the sun sank behind the dark line
of Herm, and the bow went out with a snap, and the cliffs in front
grew gray and sank back into their sleep, as the shadows crept up out
of the sea.
And, presently, the primrose sea in the clouds lost its transparent
softness and flushed with rose and carmine. The tender greens and
blues in the north deepened, and the sky above glowed crimson right
into the far east. And the sea below was like a ripe plum with a
rippling bloom upon it, and then it answered to the glow "above and
became like burnished copper. And over it, from the south end of Sark,
came a dancing white sail, at sight of which Graeme leaped to his
feet.
"The show is over," he cried, "and here comes your highnesses'
carriage."
"I wouldn't have missed it for anything," said Margaret softly, with a
rapt face still.
"It was worth living on potatoes for a month for," said Miss Penny.
"All the same, I hope Mrs. Carre will have some dinner for us when we
get home."
The boat was heading for the Pente-a-Fouaille where they had landed
the day before, and they hurried to meet it, Graeme full of misgivings
as to the embarkation, for the waves were still roaring up the rocks
in bursts of foam, though the wind had fallen somewhat.
But the boatmen knew their business, and had brought an extra hand for
its safe accomplishment. They dropped the sail and pulled round a
corner of the black rock. Then, while two of them kept the boat from
destruction, the other stood and Graeme dropped the girls one by one
into his arms, and was a very thankful man when he tumbled in himself,
all in a heap, and wiped the big drops of sweat from his brow.
A stroke or two with the oars and they were plunging back through the
hissing white caps, but not, as he had expected, to Havre Gosselin.
"Where to?" he shouted to the blue-guernseyed stalwart nearest him.
"Grande Greve. We couldn' beach in Havre Gosselin, and mebbe the
leddies wouldn' like to climb the ladders," with a grin at the
leddies.
"Not much!" said Miss Penny. "Margaret, my dear, prepare yourself! I'm
going to be sick if this goes on much longer."
But before she had time to be sick they had rounded the shoulder of
Port-es-Saies, and their boat's nose ran up the soft sand of a low
tide in Grande Greve, and the green waves came curling exultantly in
over the stern. The men leaped out and hauled bravely, and in a moment
the girls were ashore.
"Couldn' get back nohow last night, sir. 'Twould a bin as much as our
lives were worth. Hope ye didn' starve," said the spokesman with
another genial grin.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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