84 _ Hans Brinker

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WHAT THE BOYS SAW AND DID IN AMSTERDAM

RE weall here?” cried Peter, in high glee, as the party
assembled upon the canal, early the next morning,
equipped for their skating-journey. ‘ Let me see. As Jacob
has made me captain, I’ must call the roll. Carl Schummel,
you here?”

“Yal”

“ Jacob Poot?”

“Yal”

“¢ Benjamin Dobbs ? ”

“Ya-a!”

“ Lambert van Mounen?”

“Ya!”

“That ’s lucky! Couldn’t get on without you, as you’re
the only one who can speak English. — Ludwig van Holp?”

“Yal”

“ Voostenwalbert Schimmelpenninck ?”

No answer.

“© Ah! the little rogue has been kept at home. — Now, boys,
it’s just eight o’clock, glorious weather ; and the Y is as firm
as arock. Well be at Amsterdam in thirty minutes. One,
two, three —sTaRT!”

True enough. In less than half an hour, they had crossed
a dike of solid masonry, and were in the very heart of the great