hard that one umbrella was turned inside out.
"I guess we'd better leave them in the boat," said Mr. Brown. "I think
if we wear our coats and sou'westers we'll be dry enough."
A southwester, which is usually pronounced and sometimes spelled
"sou'wester," is a hat made from yellow oilskin, waterproof, and it can
be tied on under the chin so it won't blow off.
And so, with yellow caps on their heads, with yellow coats which came
almost to their feet, and with rubber boots, Bunny Brown, his father
and Bunker Blue set off through the rain to find the camp of the
gypsies, and, if possible, to get Toby. Bunny had a special set of
"oilskins," as they are called, for himself. Sue had a set also, but, of
course, she was not along this time.
"And I'm glad we left her at home," said Mr. Brown. "She is a stout
little girl, but this storm would have been too much for her. I'm afraid
it is almost too much for you, Bunny."
"Oh, no, it isn't," said Sue's brother. "I like it!"
And I really believe he did.
The _Spray_ was left tied to the dock, and a watchman there said he
would look after her until Mr. Brown and the others came back. The boat
was dry inside, though the outside, like everything else around her, was
dripping wet, for the rain still came down hard.
"Hello!" exclaimed Mr. Brown, as he looked at his watch when they were
walking up the dock. "It took us longer to come across the bay than I
thought it would. It is almost noon. We had better stop in town and have
some dinner. I don't believe the gypsies will feel like feeding us if we
take Toby away from them."
"Do the gypsies eat in the rain?" asked Bunny.
"Of course," his father answered. "They have to eat then the same as a
sailor does. And I suppose they know how to keep dry in their tents and
wagons as well as we do in our boats. But we won't depend on them for
our meal. We'll get it in the restaurant."
There was a small one on the shore, at the end of the dock, where
fishermen and boatmen, many of whom Mr. Brown knew, took their meals.
There Bunny, his father and Bunker Blue had some hot clam chowder, with
big crackers called "pilot biscuit," to eat with it. After they had
eaten the chowder and the other good things the keeper of the restaurant
set before them, they were ready to start out in the rain again.
"The gypsy camp; eh?" remarked a farmer of whom they asked how to get to
the place. "Well, you go along this road about a mile, and then t
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