d that he felt quite able to
commence work.

"I don't want to hinder you," said Dick; "but I am afraid that you will
find your strength not equal to the task."

Lord Reginald, however, insisted on trying, and Dick, notching the wood,
fixed the saw ready for work, he taking one end and Lord Reginald the
other, but before the latter had pulled it backwards and forwards a
dozen times he had to confess that he could not go on, and sat down
completely exhausted. Dick instantly ran and got some broth he had
prepared for supper. Though the young lord revived after he had
swallowed some of it, Dick insisted that he should not again make the
attempt, and persuaded him to sit down in the shade, while he, with his
axe, began stripping off the bark.

Dick pursued the plan followed by boys when cutting out a model boat.
He first carefully planed the upper surface, using a level, until he was
satisfied that it was perfectly even. He then began pencilling out the
form of the upper works, so that both sides might be exactly even,
avoiding the risk of making the boat lop-sided.

"You seem to me, Hargrave, to bestow a great deal of pains on the work
you are about," observed Lord Reginald. "You will have to scoop out the
whole centre part; what can be the use of polishing it down in that
fashion?"

"If I don't do that I may run the chance of not having the sides even,"
answered Dick. "Now, all we have got to do, when we have formed the
upper part, will be to turn it over, so that the log may lay quite flat,
and, with the aid of some forms which I propose making, shape out the
two sides. Though by using the forms we shall take longer than if we
did without them, it will be better than trusting only to the eye."

Before dark Dick had made some progress, but as he could not expect much
help from Lord Reginald for some days, he determined in the mean time to
prepare the wood which he would require for the gunwale, and also the
forms. For the latter purpose he used some flat boards, which, as the
canoe was four feet wide, required only to be a little more than two
feet broad. This latter work he was able to carry on indoors during the
evening, while Lord Reginald assisted him in drawing out the plan. They
agreed that it was important to give the boat a flat floor, though she
might be made more seaworthy by having a deep keel, which could be
easily bolted on.

Before they lay down to rest that night, they had in their minds' ey