Jane scrambled up, wet from head to feet.
"Oh, me! Oh my! What a mess!" Harriet leaned against the side of the cabin screaming with laughter.
Jane looked at her an instant, then, joined in the merriment.
"You are a sight!" gasped Harriet.
"Why shouldn't I be?
I've been in the water?
Are we going to stand here and laugh all the morning, or are we going to get 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.