“It’s blowing a bit harder this morning,” she said as they were going down the field.
“We reefed,” said Roger.
“Did you?” said mother.
“I helped,” said Roger.
“Which pendant did you tie down first?” asked mother.
“The one nearest the mast,” said Roger; “then the one at the end of the boom, and the reef points in the middle of the sail last of all.”
“And which are you going to let go first when you shake your reef out?”
“Reef points first,” said Roger, “then the one at the end of the boom, and then the one by the mast.”
“That’s right,” said mother. “No duffers in your crew.”
They stowed the cargo, hoisted the sail, and were soon reaching out of the bay.
“The pirate on the houseboat’s got a cannon,” shouted Roger as they sailed away. He had forgotten all about it while on land.
“Has he?” called mother. “Well, so long, you sailormen.”
This time, with the wind aft, and a good one, the Swallow fairly raced to the island, with her wake creaming out astern of her. They sailed straight past well outside Houseboat Bay. They were too far out to see very much, but they saw the man on the houseboat get up and lean on the railing round his afterdeck and look at them through a pair of glasses. A moment later they had passed the promontory on the southern side of the bay, and the houseboat had disappeared behind it.