a
of what she intended to accomplish.

In the first place, she said the whole party must go further up the
bank, so as to get above the "America," which was on the lower edge of
the little island. When they had gone far enough, she tied one end of
the cord to the rudder-post of her canal-boat. Then she turned the
cunning little windlass, and slowly up went the mast to its full
height. The next thing was to unfurl the sail, set it properly, and
set the rudder,--all of which she did deftly and correctly, making
Will feel ashamed of what he had said about the ignorance of girls.

She placed the boat on the water. The sail filled, and off went the
"Wilhelmina" with a slow, true, steady motion, her red sail glowing in
the sunshine, and her stiff little pennant standing straight out in
the wind. As the boat crossed the pool, Greta played out the cord
carefully, so as not to impede its motion. When it reached the other
side and had gently grounded on the shelving shore, Greta gave the
line into Will's hand.

"If you will hold this," she said, "I will go across the bridge."

"Don't trouble yourself to do that," said Will, "I will go over."

"No," said Greta, "I wish to go. I am captain of my own craft, and I
know how to manage my 'Wilhelmina.'"

"I had no idea she was so pretty," said Will. "She is a true, stanch
little sailer."

"She don't show off until she is on the water," said Greta, smiling,
"and then she sails like a real boat. Do you know what I am going to
do when I get to the other side?"

"I can guess. You will send your boat back to me from below the island
while I hold this end of the cord. That will bring the line around my
ship and pull her off."

"I thought of that, but it is too risky. If anything should go wrong
with my boat, the line might get tangled; or there might be too great
a strain, and the ship would come off with a jerk and be tumbled
bottom upward into the water. I intend to untie the cord from the
boat, and you and I must walk slowly down toward the 'America,'--I on
that side, and you on this. We must hold the cord low so as to catch
the mast under the sail, if we can."

"All right," said Will.

Greta walked quickly down the bank, across the bridge, and up the
other side until she reached the "Wilhelmina." Placing the boat on the
bank for safety, she took the cord off, and, holding it firmly, walked
slowly down toward the island. Will did the same on his side of the
pool. The cord we