“Harriet, don’t you think we had better go ashore?” asked Miss Elting.

“You will be little better off there.  But wait.  Yes, the very thing.  I was going to use that awning for something else.  It is the only dry thing on the boat.  Come, Jane; we’ll do the best we can under the circumstances.”

Together the two girls got down the awning, which had once served them as a tent.  Assisted by Miss Elting they lugged it ashore and placing it back far enough to be out of reach of the water, smoothed it out on the ground.  This would at least furnish them with a place to sleep.  By this time Tommy, Hazel and Margery had made their way ashore.

“How I wish we had some matches now!  I’d build a fire.  Jane, do you think that box of matches could have kept dry through all this?” questioned Harriet.

“It wouldn’t do you any good if it had.  How are you going to find it if it is there?”

“That’s so.  Now, I think we had better take all the things out of the cabin.  Most of the stuff may be gone by morning.  Miss Elting, will you stay with the girls?” asked Harriet.  “Then they won’t feel afraid.  Besides we shall only be in each other’s way if more than two of us try to work in that cabin in the dark.  The first thing to be done is to try to stop the water from beating in through that wrecked doorway.  I have an idea.  Jane, see if you can find some rope.  There should be some on the upper deck.”

Jane McCarthy reported that there was no rope there.  Harriet decided to go on without it, believing that she knew a way to check the flood.  Calling Jane to assist her, the two girls carried the dining table out to the upper deck.  This they left there for the moment.

“Now hand out the cots,” directed Harriet.

As this was being done, Harriet worked standing in water most of the time.  She placed the cots on edge across the doorway until three of them had been set in place.  Directing Jane to try to hold them in place, Harriet grasped the table.  This she braced against the cots.  The table held them in place.

“Hurrah!  We’ve done it.  See if you can find some blankets in there.  One will do.”

After some searching about Jane announced that she had found a heavy blanket.  Acting under Harriet’s directions Jane carried the blanket to the upper deck and lowered it over the barricade of cots, weighting it with heavy stones from the beach so that the end would remain on the upper deck.

Harriet was unable to get either to the upper deck or into the boat, without danger of pulling down her barricade, so she promptly jumped into the lake and waded ashore.  She fell down several times before reaching dry land, knocked over by waves that overtook her and laid her low.  She sat down on the beach gasping.

“Come over here and rest a moment, Harriet,” urged the guardian.

“I am all right, thank you.  I haven’t time to think about resting.  I am going to try to get our belongings out of the boat.  We aren’t so badly off as we might be.”