or, The Silver Skates 169

The man on board scarcely noticed him, except to mutter
something about it’s not being a trekschuit. Still looking
toward Peter, he asked, —

“ How many?”

“6 Six.”

“ Well, it’s Nicholas Day — up with you! ‘Young gentle-
man sick [nodding towards Jacob] ?”

“Yes, broken down—skated all the way from Broek,”
answered Peter.- ‘“*Do you go to Leyden?”

“That ’s as the wind says. It’s blowing that way now.
Scramble up!”

Poor Jacob! if that willing Mrs. Poot had only appeared
just then, her services would have been invaluable. It was as
much as the boys could do to hoist him into the boat. All
were in at last. The schipper, puffing away at his pipe, let out
the sail, lifted the brake, and sat in the stern with folded arms.

“ Whew! How fast we go!” cried Ben. “ This is some-
thing like. — Feel better, Jacob?”

“© Much petter, I tanks you.”

“Oh! you’ll be as good as new in ten minutes. This
makes a fellow feel like a bird.”

Jacob nodded, and blinked his eyes.

“ Don’t go to sleep, Jacob; it’s too cold. You might
never wake up, you know. Persons often freeze to death in
that way.”

“I no sleep,” said Jacob, confidently. And in two minutes
he was snoring.

Carl and Ludwig laughed.

“ We must wake him!” cried Ben. ‘It is dangerous, I
tell you. — Jacob! Ja-a-c —”’

Captain Peter interfered ; for three of the boys were helping
Ben for the fun of the thing.