busy?"

For answer Harriet Burrell picked up a pail and began bailing out the
cockpit. Jane, dripping, took up another pail and together the girls
worked feverishly. There were several barrels of water in the cockpit,
so their backs were aching by the time they had finished bailing out the
water. The stern of the boat now floated clear, but the forward end was
hard and fast on the ground.

"The next thing is to get the boat off the gravel," announced Harriet.

"Maybe we can hitch the rowboat on and drag the 'Red Rover' off,"
suggested Jane.

Harriet shook her head.

"It won't work. We shall have to drag it off by main force. You can't be
any wetter, and I'm not afraid of a little water. Let's get outside the
boat and see what we can do."

A few seconds later as they took hold and directed their strength to the
task of moving the heavy boat, Harriet's feet slipped from under her.
She fell over into the water, coming up coughing, the water streaming
from her hair and shoulders, and falling into the lake in a shower. Jane
screamed with delight. "You're wet all right, now! No mistake about
that," jeered Crazy Jane. "And what have we done? Moved the old tub
three quarters of an inch. At this rate we'll have her afloat about
supper time. I wish I had my car hitched to it. I'd drag the old thing
out so fast it would make her dizzy."

Harriet had grasped the edge of the boat, tugging with all her might.
Jane dashed around to the other side, adding her strength to the task.
The boat gave way with such suddenness that both girls fell into the
lake. But they did not care. They could get no wetter. Therefore they
laughed and joked over their bedraggled condition. The "Red Rover"
floated clear of the rushes.

"Do the best you can. I'll get the rowboat," cried Harriet, splashing
toward the shore. Her clothes were so heavy with water that they impeded
her movements. She shoved the rowboat out, and, leaping in, rowed it out
into the lake with strong sweeps of the oars. In a few moments she was
alongside.

"The rope is too short. What shall we do?" called Jane.

"There is a rope attached to this boat. I think it will be long enough
for towing. Wait, I'll toss it to you. Make it fast. The boat is heavy
and we are going to have a hard pull, but I don't dare leave it here
until we can get help."

Jane waded over to the rowboat for the rope. She made it fast; then,
getting behind the houseboat, she pushed while Harriet rowed.