And,
speaking of getting up dinner, reminds me that the topic before us now is,
how in thunder are we to get up Aunt Mary?"
"Put a rope around her and board her as if she was a cavalry horse,"
suggested Burnett.
"I scorn the suggestion," said their host; "if the worst comes to the
worst I can give her a back up, but I trust that Aunt Mary will rise to
the heights of the sail and the situation all at once and not make me do
any vertebratical stunts so early in the day."
They were running alongside of "Lady Belle" as he spoke, and the first
thing Aunt Mary knew she and her party were attached to the former by some
mysterious and not altogether solid connection.
"What do we do now?" she asked uneasily.
"I'll show you," laughed Burnett, and seizing two flapping ropes he went
skipping up a sort of stepladder and sprang upon the deck above.
Aunt Mary started to emulate his prowess and stood up at once. But the
next second she sat down extremely hard without knowing why she had done
so.
"Hold on, Miss Watkins," Mitchell cried hastily; "just you hold on until I
give you something to hold on to, and when you've got something to hold on
to, please keep holding on to it, until I tell you that the hour has come
in which to let go again."
"I didn't quite catch that," said Aunt Mary, "but I'm ready to do anythin'
you say if you only--" and again she sprang up and again was thrown down as
hard as before.
"Look out," cried Jack, springing to her side; and he got hold of his
valuable relative and held her fast while Mitchell grasped the ladder and
a sailor strove to keep the launch still.
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