The Whispering Statue Read Online Free Page B

unless we get permission from the attendant.”
    “That’s me—Dick Milton, the attendant, and you have my permission. From what I overheard, sounds as if you know what you’re doing. Come on into the boathouse and get her bag of sails. If you like the feel of her you might enter the race here Saturday afternoon.”
    Soon the girls were in the dinghy rowing out to the Wee Scot named Top Job. Nancy had carefully covered her wig with a large bathing cap and firmly strapped it under her chin.
    “What a bore this is,” she complained, tugging at the tight strap. “I hate bathing caps!”
    “It’s better than catching your wig in the rigging or losing it overboard,” George remarked. “Then we would be in a spot. I don’t think Bess and I could do much mystery solving without you.”
    Nancy laughed. “Oh sure you could.”
    “I hope the name of this boat is prophetic,” Bess said.
    Once aboard Top Job, George and Nancy had the mainsail and jib up in record time. Bess dutifully coiled the sheets.
    “The wind is perfect.” George sighed happily, taking the tiller.
    Top Job sailed smoothly, gathering speed as the sails filled. The boat was running before the wind. As the craft approached the mouth of the harbor, George noticed a post she assumed was a racing marker. She decided to have a look at it, thinking she might take part in Saturday’s races.
    “Ready about, hard alee!” she called.
    Nancy uncleated the jib sheet. Then she and Bess scrambled to the other side of the boat. Nancy trimmed the jib sheet, cleating it on the starboard side. George handed her the tiller, saying, “Try her. She handles beautifully.”
    Bess did not appear happy. “Ugh, see all those messed-up ropes—I mean sheets,” she groaned, straightening them out again.
    “The wind’s freshening,” Nancy remarked as the boat, picking up speed, began to heel over. “This is fun.”
    “It’s getting so dark,” Bess said apprehensively, looking at the sky.
    “That’s strange,” thought Nancy. “It is dark and feels as if the wind’s changing.” Glancing at the pennant on top of the mast, she saw in dismay that the wind had shifted abruptly. Suddenly she yelled:
    “Jibing over!”
    The boom swung across with a bang. George ducked, but the spar hit Bess, throwing her into the water.
    “Bess! Bess! Are you all right?” George screamed.
    Nancy tried to steady the boat and tack away from the marker which she saw was made of concrete. In a moment the boat scraped hard against it and began to take in water.
    “Here we go!” she cried as Top Job slowly capsized.

CHAPTER V
    An Amazing Find
    NANCY, Bess, and George clawed their way to the surface. Bess had a red mark on her cheek, but said she was all right. To the girls’ amazement the wind had died down.
    “That was a freak blow,” said Nancy.
    “What did we hit?” Bess asked. Her question was answered as the girls looked at the concrete marker on which a warning was painted in red: Danger. Sunken schooner.
    Quickly they righted the sailboat. But it was shipping water fast from the gouge in her side.
    “It’ll sink!” Bess cried.
    Nancy did not comment. Instead she looked under the deck, hoping to find extra rope so they could lash the sailboat to the post. To her relief she discovered a coil of rope, together with a heavy sweater.
    “Here, girls,” she called, tossing the rope to them. “Try to tie Top Job to the post.”
    Bess reached up to catch the rope but her chilled fingers missed it.
    “Oh!” she cried out.
    “Never mind,” said Nancy.
    She had succeeded in cramming the sweater into the hole. Now she dived to locate the rope. Nancy could not see it and had to surface.
    “I’ll go down,” George offered. But she too met with failure.
    Bess took a turn but came up empty-handed. The three girls went down again and again, but rose to the surface, panting, and had to rest for a few moments before submerging again.
    Once, when they came up, Bess remarked, “I