“That boat is sailing much faster than you think,” answered Harriet.  “You will see when it gets opposite us how fast it is moving.  It is moving so fast that I can’t make myself believe it is our boat.”

“I gueth we’ll wait till it getth here,” decided Tommy, which voiced the feelings of all.  As the sailboat drew down into plain view, exclamations of admiration were heard on all sides.  For a single-masted boat she carried a great spread of white canvas and two jibs, each of which was full of wind, pulling powerfully.  The wind being off shore, the sloop was heeling the other way, showing quite a portion of her black hull, which was in strong contrast with her glistening white sides and snowy sails.  The water was spurting away from her bows, showing white along the black side below her water line—­all in all, an inspiring sight to the lover of boats and the big water.

“Hurrah, see her go!  She’s skimming along like a scared cat.  No, that isn’t our tub, darlin’s.  I know Dad.  She will be safe, but she will come limping and groaning down the line at a mile an hour, then probably go aground in the bay because there won’t be room enough for her to turn about.  You see if I’m not right.”

“You are all wrong,” answered Harriet.  “How do I know?  Never mind.  You will find that you are.”  She had seen a man hauling in on the main sheets—­the ropes that led from the mainsail back toward the cockpit.  From that she knew the boat was preparing to change its course.  This it did a few moments later, heading in toward the shore, but pointed at a spot a full half mile below the camp, as nearly as the girls could observe.

“Oh, that is too bad!  See, they are going somewhere else,” cried Miss Elting.  “Why—­why, what are they trying to do?  Are those people crazy?”

“They are tacking in,” answered Harriet.

“Of course.  How stupid of me.”

“It ith the ‘Thilly Thue,’” shouted Tommy.

“The ‘Silly Sue’! hurrah!” yelled the girls, instantly adopting Tommy’s nickname for the boat.

“Oh, darlin’s, isn’t she the beauty?” cried Jane.  She began dancing about, several others doing likewise.

“I thought you knew it was going to be an old tub,” reminded Harriet teasingly.

“I take it all back.  When I see Dad I shall get down on my knees and beg his pardon.”  Jane began running toward the bay, turning out to the bar as the most likely place to get a good view of their present.  She was followed by the entire camp, Chief Guardian and guardians, who ran shouting and waving their hats.

As the boat swept majestically into the bay the jibs came in and the mainsail was lowered slightly, the boom being permitted to swing far out.  The girls then saw that there were two men on board, one handling the sails, the other was stationed at the wheel.  The craft crossed and criss-crossed the bay, sawing back and forth several times before reaching a position for which the skipper evidently had been heading.  Then, all at once, he swung the bow of the boat squarely into the wind.