Do you think I might untie the rope ?" "No, no!" cried Terry; "we're only pretending.

You know we have neither oars nor sails." "I suppose it is better not," said Turly, as a healthy sensation of hunger reminded him that he could hardly return from discovering a new continent before dinner.
However, the rope, as if it resented having been interfered with in doing its duty, now played them an unkind trick.

It loosened from the ring of its own accord, and the boat, with the children in it, drifted away from the rocks.
The tide was going out, and the even waves carried the little bark far from land in the course of a very few minutes.
Turly burst out laughing, but Terry turned very white as she realized what had happened.
"Turly, Turly, don't dance about like that, or you will upset the boat! We're going out to sea, and we can't get back again!" Turly looked around and saw that she was right, but did not like to confess so much.
"Of course we're going out to sea," he said, "but why shouldn't we come back again ?" [Illustration] "What's to bring us back ?" said Terry.

"We've no oars or sails, and if we had we're not big enough to use them." "The tide is going out," said Turly, "and it's taking us.

When it begins to come in it will bring us back." "Oh, it won't come back for hours and hours! And how can we tell where we are going ?" Turly was quiet now, and came to sit with Terry in the bottom of the boat.
"It's the only way to keep it steady," said Terry.