64 SOBER JOHN.

get it a-going, like so many legs of a centi-
pede. Presently the jolly-boat began to
move of itself, though at first slowly. It,
however, soon began to gather headway, and
at length went bounding along over every
swell and hollow, like a ship in a gale of
wind. John kept her exactly in the track,
until at length they reached the bottom of
the hill, and then it came down upon the
pond like an arrow. But now, as the ice
was perfectly smooth, the rudder could not
get any hold, and so the jolly-boat gradually
broached to .

‘““O dear!” said Lucy; ‘there are all your
old sea-phrases again.”

“QO, I forgot,” said Jonas, smiling. “I
did not. mean to give you any more sea-
phrases, but, somehow or other, telling
about the fisherman has brought them all
into my head. But, Lucy, I will try, in my
next story, not to have a single sea-phrase
from beginning to end.”

‘OQ, no matter about it,” said Lucy.

‘Well, the jolly-boat slewed round, and
went sideways, the boys all hanging back,
and expecting every minute that it would
go over.