Mrs. Evans made a mental resolve to see that the boys and girls all had a definite rest hour each day.
Katherine's thoughts went into a widely different channel. At the first mention of going to bed before the others she became suspicious, and, looking closely, she was positive that the Captain's yawn was feigned. Lying on her back on the sand so that her head was behind Sahwah and Gladys she whispered very quietly, "D. M. S. meeting." Gladys and Sahwah squeezed her arm to let her know they understood and as soon as the three boys had started up the hill they rose also, saying they were going up on the Council Rock. Hinpoha rose and followed them; Migwan and Nakwisi apparently did not catch on, and remained where they were.
There was no time to follow the boys. The girls must be in the cave before the Sandwiches got there to be able to overhear anything. Taking a short cut, they came out on the bluff just above the cave. They could hear the boys stopping for a drink at the spring on the other side of the island.
"How'll we get down?" asked Gladys in a whisper.
"Crawl down the face of the cliff," said Sahwah. "And we'll probably skin our whole mortal frames doing it."
"Sh!" said Katherine. "There's no time to crawl down. We've got to hurry. Go half way down and jump the rest of the way. It's all soft sand underneath."
"Nonsense!" said Katherine scornfully. "Didn't I say it was all soft sand underneath? Sh! I'll go first Sh-h!"
She swung over the edge, poised on the little ledge, flung out her arms and leapt into the darkness below. There was a crash, a smash, a plump, and a startled wail.
"What is it?" cried Gladys, throwing caution to the winds and shouting.
"I'm in the lake, I guess," called Katherine from below. "First I jumped in and then the sky fell on me." Her voice sounded oddly muffled and far away.
Gladys flashed her little bug light over the cliff and then shrieked with laughter at the spectacle below. Flat on the beach sat Katherine, her feet straight out in front of her and a tin washtub upside down on her head, completely hiding the upper half of her. From the edge of it the water was dripping in tiny streamlets. The main deluge had already descended. All around her lay the clothes which had been soaking in the tub ready to be washed out bright and early the next morning.