Page:Castlemon--Joe Wayring at Home.djvu/282

 you do it? Seems like you was afeard of them fellers."

"Yes, Matt, why don't you do it?" said Arthur, encouragingly.

"Yes, Matt, show a little pluck," chimed in Roy. "Come on. Swim off to us; and if I don't sink you before you have got ten feet from the shore, I'm a Dutchman."

"I don't think we have any thing more to fear from them," said Joe, in a low tone. "It's a lucky thing for us that Roy thought of using those potatoes. If we had nothing to defend ourselves with they could drive us away from here very easily. Now let's raise the canoe, and go up to the brook and catch our breakfast. I'm getting hungry."

It was scarcely two minutes' work to bring the wreck to the surface. It readily yielded to the strain that Joe and Arthur brought to bear upon the lines, and as soon as they could, get hold of it, they drew it into the skiff stern foremost, thus compelling the water with which it was filled to run out at the hole in the bow. After that it was turned bottom upward over the stern locker and lashed fast. Of course