Looking very cross and disconsolate, the four girls sat down on the sand a little distance away, to grumble and discuss the situation.
"I don"t believe Miss Lincoln meant exactly what she said," declared Kitty.
"I"m sure she didn"t. It"s only Phyllis who"s so proud of being prefect, and likes to show her authority," agreed Maud.
"I don"t see why we should do as she tells us; she"s only a schoolgirl like ourselves," said Vera.
"I expect she wanted to be nasty, and pay us out for what happened last week in the gymnasium," said Muriel.
"It"s too bad!"
"It"s an absolute shame!"
"Suppose we were to go after all," suggested Vera tentatively.
"But Phyllis would stop us."
"She won"t see. She"s taking the tent poles and walking up that path towards the hotel. She"ll be round the corner in half a minute."
"Why, so she is!"
"If we"re quick we could be beyond the point before she comes back."
"Then come along at once."
"Yes, don"t let us waste a moment."
The four girls jumped up, and, hurrying off, went away round the rock with such record speed, that by the time Phyllis returned to fetch the remainder of the tent they were well out of sight. Imagining that they must have walked down the beach towards the village, Phyllis did not trouble to go and look for them, so the only person who knew the real direction they had taken was Patty, who happened to have overheard most of the conversation, and to have seen their hasty flight. Having examined as many sea anemones as she cared to, Patty climbed up a steep little track on to the cliff again, and spent a blissful half-hour by herself, lying in the sunshine on a bed of purple heath, watching the white sails of the boats in the distance, and a steamer far out on the horizon. From her point of lookout she had a very good view over the whole of the large bay. How fast the tide was flowing in! The sandbanks, which only ten minutes ago had gleamed yellow in the sunshine, were now covered with water, and a huge white wave appeared at the mouth of the estuary, advancing with threatening speed.
"It must be the tidal wave that Phyllis spoke about," thought Patty.
"She told us how dangerous it is on this coast, how it comes in with a great rush, as fast as a man can run, and floods all the bay quite suddenly. I expect that was the reason Miss Lincoln wouldn"t let us go far along the beach this afternoon. Why! Surely that cannot be Muriel and the others such a long way out upon the sands! I thought they would have been back before now. Yes, it is! And their backs are turned to the sea! They"re sauntering along as calmly as if the tide were going down instead of rising. Oh, why don"t they look round and hurry?"
Patty sprang to her feet and waved her handkerchief frantically, but the girls were not looking in her direction, and took no notice. What was she to do? She felt, at all costs, they must be warned. She would be obliged to disregard Miss Lincoln"s orders, and to go along the beach and tell them of their danger. There was not time to run back and ask permission. n.o.body else was in sight, so she must decide on her own authority that it was expedient for once to disobey. Scrambling quickly on to the sh.o.r.e by an even more precipitous path than the one by which she had ascended, Patty made what haste she could along the sands towards her companions. She shouted to them while she was still a considerable distance off, but though they waved their hands in reply, they did not come any the faster.
"How stupid they are!" thought Patty. "Can"t they see the water behind them? They walk as if they were strolling round the quad."
With an extra effort she hurried on, and reached them out of breath and panting.
"Why don"t you make haste?" she gasped. "Didn"t you hear me call?"
"It"s all very well to say "Make haste!"" replied Maud. "We can"t get Muriel along."
"I"ve hurt my foot," said Muriel. "I slipped on a stone, and I think I must have sprained my ankle. It hurts dreadfully when I lean any weight upon it. Let me have your arm, Patty."
"Don"t you see how fast the tide"s rising?" said Patty, giving the asked-for a.s.sistance. "If we"re not very quick we shall be surrounded."
"Why, so we shall!" exclaimed Vera. "I didn"t notice it before. Come along at once. We must run."
"I can"t run," said Muriel fretfully, "you know I can"t. I can scarcely even limp as it is."
"You must," said Maud, taking her other arm; "that is, if you don"t want to be drowned."
"Don"t pull me, Maud," cried Muriel, "you"re hurting me. Oh, I can"t go any faster! My foot will give way underneath me."
"What are we to do?" said Kitty blankly. "The water"s rushing round on both sides of us! If we don"t get across that piece of sand in front directly, we shall be on an island."
"Let us make a chair of our hands," suggested Patty, "and try to carry Muriel. See, Maud! Clasp my wrists like this, and I"ll clasp yours.
Muriel, sit down! Now, then; one, two, let"s step together."
"She"s too heavy; I can"t manage it!" exclaimed Maud, dropping her burden on to the sands.
"Then you try, Kitty."
"No, no! I"m not so strong as Maud. Oh, look at the water!"
"Come along, girls," shouted Vera, "we must run for our lives! It"s no use our all being drowned."
"Maud! Kitty! Vera! You don"t mean to leave me?" shrieked Muriel.
"Quick! Quick!" was the sole reply she received, as her three friends took to their heels, and, without even turning to look at her, dashed across the narrow belt of dry land which led between two channels to the safer bank of shingle beyond.
"The cowards! The mean cowards!" cried Muriel, white with anger and alarm. "Patty, are you going too?"
"Not without you," replied Patty, st.u.r.dily. "Here, I"ll help you up, Muriel, and we must push on, even if we have to wade. Catch hold of my arm again, and try to walk."
"It hurts so; my foot won"t hold me. Oh, the pain is so bad, I must stop for a minute!"
Patty looked round desperately. Their situation was indeed most dangerous. The one path to safety was already covered, and even if they were able to hurry on fast, it was doubtful whether they would be able to wade to the sh.o.r.e. They were cut off on every side, and their little island was each moment diminishing in size.
"We must climb on to these rocks," she exclaimed. "Let us scramble up the tallest; perhaps it may be above high-water mark. Put your arms round my neck, Muriel, and I"ll carry you as well as I can."
Almost sinking under her cousin"s weight, Patty staggered along till she reached the jagged, seaweed-covered rock, which she hoped might afford them a temporary place of security. Groaning with pain, Muriel managed with Patty"s help to drag herself slowly to the summit.
"Why did I come?" she said. "It was all Vera"s fault. She persuaded us to go, and then kept taking us a little farther and a little farther every time we wanted to turn back. We shall be drowned; I know we shall."
"I don"t think so," returned Patty hopefully. "The top of the rock is quite dry, as if it weren"t covered at high tide. I believe we shall be safe, only we may have to stop here for a very long while."
"Let us call for help," suggested Muriel.
Both girls shouted at the pitch of their voices again and again, but there was no response, except from the sea birds which they disturbed on the adjacent cliffs.
[Ill.u.s.tration: "THEY WERE CUT OFF ON EVERY SIDE"]
"How long shall we have to stay here?" enquired Muriel presently.
"Why, until the water goes down again."
"When will it go down?"