all get down on my knees and
beg his pardon." Jane began running toward the bay, turning out to the
bar as the most likely place to get a good view of their present. She
was followed by the entire camp, Chief Guardian and guardians, who ran
shouting and waving their hats.

As the boat swept majestically into the bay the jibs came in and the
mainsail was lowered slightly, the boom being permitted to swing far
out. The girls then saw that there were two men on board, one handling
the sails, the other was stationed at the wheel. The craft crossed and
criss-crossed the bay, sawing back and forth several times before
reaching a position for which the skipper evidently had been heading.
Then, all at once, he swung the bow of the boat squarely into the
wind.

"Let go!" he called.

The big sail came down with a clatter and rattle of rings, and the
anchor went overboard with a loud splash. The "Sister Sue" was at
anchor in the bay. The skipper lighted his pipe and sat down all
hunched together, puffing away with most aggravating deliberateness.

"Aren't you coming ashore so we may get aboard and see the boat?"
called Harriet.

"Bymeby," was the laconic answer.

"I am the commodore. I wish--"

"The what?"

"The commodore," answered Harriet, laughing so that she barely made
herself heard.

"Commodore's quarters aren't ready," called back Captain Billy. "Let
you know when we're ready for you. We aren't going out again to-day."

"I shall have to talk to the captain, I fear," said Mrs. Livingston,
smiling faintly.

Soon after coming to anchor the second man on the boat was observed to
be busy furling the sail, which he took his time in doing. This
finished, he hauled up pails of water with a pail tied to the end of a
rope and started swabbing down the decks. This completed, he went
about other duties, which, to the row of girls sitting on the Lonesome
Bar, seemed trivial and for the sake of killing time.

"Isn't it perfectly aggravating?" grumbled Margery Brown.

The supper horn blew while they still sat there waiting. The Camp
Girls reluctantly turned back toward camp. They were disappointed, and
so expressed themselves with emphasis while eating their supper. But
Harriet, who had been excused before the others had finished, hurried
out to take an observation. She was back almost at once.

"Their rowboat is coming ashore," she cried, pointing toward the bay.

Instantly every girl in the cook tent, without the for