Page:Cornelia Meigs--The island of Appledore.djvu/67

Rh across the harbour. She will come ashore, surely, on that bit of sandy beach and we can walk round and pick her up. That will give her a chance to do a bit of real sailing.”

The plan was readily agreed to by all concerned, apparently with the most heartiness by the Josephine herself. She dipped and danced irresolutely for a moment when first she was launched upon her new voyage, then  spread her sails to the wind and scudded off like a racing yacht. Even Aunt Mattie joined in the chorus of cheers that celebrated the  triumphant setting sail. Captain Saulsby’s rheumatism seemed completely forgotten as  he set off along the shore path to meet the  boat when she came to port, with Aunt Mattie  walking beside him.

Billy, lagging a little behind, looked up suddenly toward the rocks above him and  caught a movement of something behind the  biggest of the stones. The brown mink perhaps it was, but—possibly—something else. He climbed up to investigate, but found the rocks were slippery and not easy to scale, and  that the smooth surface was hot under his  hands. He reached the top of the biggest one at last and, not much to his surprise, found