waves were dancing in the
sunlight.

'Do you see that island over there?' said Marjorie to Harry, who was
looking about him with sparkling eyes; 'that high one beyond all the
little skerries? That's where we're going; it's an awfully jolly
place, there's a fine loch with sea trout in it and a capital beach.'

Harry looked at the island, and then at the water tumbling and foaming
in the vessel's wake; and then he began to look about for some more
active occupation. The ladies were talking to their guests and
pointing out the interesting places as they passed, and Gerald and
Tricksy were sitting soberly in a corner by themselves. Mr. Stewart
and Dr. MacGregor were busy with the sailing of the vessel, which
seemed to require a great deal of management at this stage; and Harry's
soul became filled with envy as he saw the other boys helping them
dexterously as though they had passed their lives on board a ship.

Seeing Reggie perched half-way up the mast, helping to shake out a
sail, Harry tried to scramble up after him, but Hamish ordered him down.

Harry turned and looked up with an indignant stare.

The elder boy, who seemed almost grown-up in his yachting suit, met the
look with his usual good-natured smile, but did not seem disposed to be
trifled with.

'You had better begin when the vessel's steady,' he said; 'it would
never do to fall overboard while she's going along at this rate.'

'Why,' said Harry; 'couldn't you lower a boat?'

'It would not do you much good,' said Hamish. 'The current's flowing
pretty rapidly one way, and the wind's driving us along at a fair speed
in exactly the opposite direction; you might be carried miles out into
the open before we could get a boat out.'

Harry went to the side and looked down at the water that was eddying
past.

'It wouldn't be at all nice to fall overboard here, would it?' said
Marjorie, who seemed to be blown along the deck, her hair flying in the
wind. 'It will soon be over now, and see how near the island has been
getting; we'll be there in no time.'

She hurried off to help in the coiling of the ropes, and in about
half-an-hour the _Kelpie_ was brought alongside the rude stone pier of
Alvasay.

First came a walk to a wonderful rocky fiord, where the stones that
were thrown down rebounded from side to side, and finally landed with a
dull thud in some stagnant-looking water at the bottom. Afterwards,
the day being hot, boys and girls scattered for a