"'Well, now I have the chance to get the Flying Dutchman for you, and
I'm bringing it home, with sails furled so it won't get away. I'm
going to give you a grand surprise soon, and you can pass it on to
your friends. So if you let me luff along for a few more cable lengths
I think I'll make port soon, and then we'll see what sort of a sailor
you'll make. You may expect the surprise shortly.'

"That's all there is to it," concluded Betty, "and I've been puzzling
my brains as to just what the surprise may be."

"He's going to take you on a voyage," said Amy.

"He's bought you some toy ship," was the opinion of Mollie.

"Oh, if he'd only bring a real boat that we could make real a trip
in!" sighed Grace. "That would be-- lovely!"

"Betty Nelson! Write to your uncle right away!" commanded Mollie, "and
find out exactly what he means."

"I can't," sighed Betty. "He's traveling, and one never knows where he
is. We'll just have to wait. Besides, he is so peculiar that he'd just
as likely as not only puzzle me the more. We'll just have to wait;
that's all."

"Well, if it should be some sort of a boat, even a big rowboat, we
could have some fun," asserted Grace.

"Yes, for mine isn't much account," remarked Mollie, who owned a small
skiff on the river.