lly touching his hat, "our deaths will be at your
door, for we shall inevitably be drowned in that thing, and it will be
owing to your want of sense."

"Sir," replied the man, "I have made it exactly according to your
directions."

"You have, have you?" continued Fink. "Well, then, as a punishment, you
shall go with us; you must see that it is but fair that we should be
drowned together."

"No, sir, that I will not do, with so much wind as this," returned the
man, decidedly.

"Then stay ashore and make sawdust pap for your children. Give me the
mast and sails." He fitted in the little mast, hoisted and examined the
sails, then took them down again, and laid them at the bottom of the
boat, threw in a few iron bars as ballast, told Anton where to sit, and,
seizing the two oars, struck out from shore. The pumpkin danced gayly on
the water, to the great delight of the builder and his friends, who
stood watching it.

"I wanted to show these lazy fellows that it is possible to row a boat
like this against the stream," said Fink, replacing the mast, setting
the sail, and giving the proper directions to his pupil. The wind came
in puffs, sometimes filling the little sail, and bending the boat to
the water's edge, sometimes lulling altogether.

"It is a wretched affair," cried Fink, impatiently; "we are merely
drifting now, and we shall capsize next."

"If that's the case," said Anton, with feigned cheerfulness, "I propose
that we turn back."

"It doesn't matter," replied Fink, coolly; "one way or other, we'll get
to land. You can swim?"

"Like lead. If we do capsize I shall sink at once, and you will have
some trouble to get me up again."

"If we find ourselves in the water, mind you do not catch hold of me,
which would be the surest way of drowning both. Wait quietly till I draw
you out; and, by the way, you may as well be pulling off your coat and
boots; one is more comfortable in the water _en neglige_." Anton did so
at once.

"That's right," said Fink. "To say the truth, this is wretched sport. No
waves, no wind, and now no water. Here we are, aground again! Push off,
will you? Hey, shipmate! what would you say if this dirty shore were
suddenly to sink, and we found ourselves out on a respectable sea--water
as far as the horizon, waves as high as that tree yonder, and a good
hearty wind, that blew your ears off, and flattened your nose on your
face?"

"I can't say that I should like it at all," replied Anto