A VOYAGE. 49

oo = aa)

The children set offin the boat. Slow progress. Malleville’s observations.

 

in his hands, began to row, she attempted to imitate his
motions, but she was very unsuccessful in these attempts.
The blade of her oar would always go up in the air,
when she attempted to put it down into the water, and
when it was down in the water it would stay in, notwith-
standing all her efforts to get it out. In fine, it soon
appeared that Malleville’s oar only impeded the motion
of the boat, and so Caroline directed her to take it in.
Malleville was very unwilling to do this, but she finally
consented ; and so Phonny took in her oar and laid it
down into the bottom of the boat.

Of course, a boat propelled by one oar and one paddle
must make very slow and very uncertain progress, and
Caroline soon. began to feel much discouraged. She said
she did not believe that they should ever be able to get
to the mill. In fact, in getting out from the cove and
away from the shore, the boat seemed determined to
go round and round, without going forward at all.
Very soon, however, both Phonny and Caroline learned
better how to manage their respective implements, and
they soon began to move along in quite a scientific
manner.

“We had better keep pretty near the shore,” said
Caroline, “ all the way.”

“ Yes,” said Phonny, “ I think so too.”

«“ Where the water is not very deep,” said Caroline.

«“ Yes,” said Phonny.

“It is pretty deep here,’ said Malleville. So saying,
Malleville leaned over the gunwale of the boat, where
her oar had rested while she had been rowing, and looked
down into the water.

“T can see a great rock on the bottom,” said she ;—

BB