Page:Castlemon--Joe Wayring at Home.djvu/118

 and climbed in with the greatest ease; and while bailing out the water with a tin basin that was tied to one of the timbers of the canoe so that it could not float away or fill and sink, he looked complacently at his companions, who were making desperate efforts to regain their seats by climbing over the sterns of their respective crafts.

"Grab hold of the side of your canoe, draw yourself as far as you can out of the water, turn a hand-spring and land on your feet in the cock-pit," shouted Ralph, addressing himself to no one in particular. "I saw that done at Lake George last summer by two or three different men."

"Suppose you do it yourself and show us how," answered Tom, who having at last succeeded in gaining the deck, was slowly working his way toward his seat; but instead of sitting astride of his canoe, as he ought to have done, he tried to make headway on his hands and knees in order to beat Loren, who was making all haste to reach the cock-pit of his own craft. In his eagerness Tom forgot how cranky his canoe was, and, neglecting to trim