“It’s when they all get together,” said Nancy. “They can’t help themselves, poor things.”
“Well, they’ve gone now,” said Peggy. “Let’s go on with the shipwreck. This is the day after we were thrown ashore. Now we’ve got to settle down for twenty years to watch for passing sails.”
“But we’re going home this afternoon,” said Roger.
“You needn’t say so,” said Titty.
But it was no good. Everybody knew, and nobody could get back into the old mood.
“We ought to bale the ships,” said John.
That was better. It was something that had to be done. There was a lot of water in both the ships. The wet thwarts were steaming and drying in the sun, which was already hot, but the sails were very wet. They hoisted the sails to dry them, and then went back to the camp.
The camp looked much smaller. There were pale, unhealthy patches where the Swallows’ tents had stood