ut for the sail, all of you!"

But the sail did not readily come down, the pressure upon it causing it
to bind. But Dory continued to luff until it was released.

"Haul down the sail lively!" called Dory with energy, when the canvas
began to thrash and beat about as though it was bound to tear itself
into shreds.

Under the direction of the skipper the sail was secured after a great
deal of difficulty. Dory let her off again under the jib alone. This
proved to be a decided change for the better. The Goldwing kept on a
tolerably even keel, and drove ahead almost as fast as she did before.

"She's doing a good deal better," said Thad, who began to breathe freer
than he had since the boat went into the worst of it. "Why didn't we do
that before?"

"Because we were trying to keep out of the way of the Missisquoi
before," replied Dory.

But it was not baby play, even with nothing but the jib set. The
mainsail had steadied the boat to some extent; but now she began to roll
tremendously, and was not so readily controlled by the helm. The waves
broke over her on the weather side, but she did not scoop up the water
on the lee side.

The Goldwing had taken in so much water that it was swashing about in
the standing-room. Dory directed Nat to keep pumping. Dick Short was
told to take a pail which belonged to the boat, and Corny was armed with
a tin dipper. The members of the club were glad to have something to do,
as almost any nervous person is; and they worked with tremendous zeal.
In a short time the pump sucked, and not another dipperful of water
could be taken up in the well.

"Now we are all right," said Dory. "We can take it easy now."

"We are almost over to Providence Island," added Corny.

"We shall be in smooth water in ten minutes more."

"But we are a long way from Burlington," suggested Thad.

"At least a dozen miles," said the skipper. "Of course you know that we
can't get there, fellows, without going outside of Colchester Point. All
the rest of the way is quite as bad as, if not worse than, we have been
having for the last twenty minutes."

"Are we going right along to Burlington, Dory?" asked Thad in dismay at
the information given by the skipper.

"I think not at present," replied Dory. "But you have been through this
once before to-day."

"It wasn't half so bad as it is now," protested Corny. "It didn't begin
to blow very hard until we got to Valcour's Island."

"Did the Missisquoi make bett