shall be drowned, I know we shall. Make the boat rock
as much as you can, Betty, so it will seem as if the sea was getting
rough. Oh, what will become of us? Do you think we shall all perish,
sailor?"

"Can't say; hope not," said Betty, who had an idea that all sailors
spoke in short, jerky sentences.

"You'll save us if you possibly can, won't you?" said Winifred, who was
playing so hard that she was almost frightened.

"Will if I can," returned Betty in the deepest growl she could assume.

"Oh, Lulu, please let us see a sail pretty soon," urged Jack. "I'm
getting so tired of keeping my eyes shut, and it seems so dreadfully
real."

[Illustration: "There aren't any oars, and we're drifting."--_Page
159_.]

"Oh, yes, we shall see one before long," said Lulu reassuringly. "It'll
come just at the last awful moment; it always does in books."

At that moment a sudden burst of sunshine dazzled all their eyes.

"Why, how funny," exclaimed Betty, forgetting her nautical manner, and
speaking in her natural voice; "I wonder what makes it sunny all at
once. It was nice and shady a minute ago."

A shrill scream from Winifred brought Betty's wonder to an abrupt end.

"Look, oh look!" shrieked the little girl, pointing with a shaking
finger towards the shore; "the boat's moving, it's moving all by
itself."

Every one followed the direction of Winifred's terrified gaze. Sure
enough; several feet of water already separated the boat from the shore.

"The chain's broken," gasped Betty, growing very white. "It must have
broken when we made the boat rock so hard. There aren't any oars, and
we're drifting. Oh, what shall we do?"

Winifred began to cry.

"It's all your fault, Lulu," she wailed; "you said it was safe, and now
we shall be drowned, and what will mother do. Oh, oh, oh!"

Lulu was shaking from head to foot, but realizing the truth of her
friend's accusation, she made an effort to think of some way of escape.

"Couldn't we jump out and wade ashore?" she suggested desperately.

"Of course not," said Betty, with prompt decision; "we don't know how
deep the water is, and besides we couldn't leave Jack."

Poor little Jack lifted his white face from his sister's shoulder, where
he had hidden it in the first moment of terror. His eyes were big with
fright, and his lips trembled pitifully.

"Never mind about me," he faltered. "Maybe if you get ashore you can
send some one after me. I'm a boy, you know; I ought to b