about a table busily engaged in their
repast.

"I tell you I'm hungry," said John as he called for a second piece of
beefsteak.

"That's the way you would be all the time," said George, "if you would
only get up early in the morning."

"That doesn't go. I was up all night long," spoke up Fred. "I didn't
sleep any last night."

"I noticed that," said Grant. "The sound that came from your room
showed very plainly that you were not sleeping and yet I cannot
understand why a fellow should make all those noises if he is wide
awake."

"It was John you heard," retorted Fred.

"Yes, I heard John too," said Grant. "It was a duet most of the time.
Now aren't you glad," he added, "that I told you how wide the Erie
Canal is? You see there was plenty of room for the Caledonia to pass us
and take us in tow."

"How wide is the Erie Canal?" spoke up George. "I don't believe you can
remember it now yourself. You haven't your notes with you. None of
that," he added quickly as Grant felt in his pocket for a paper. "Tell
me on your word of honor how wide the Erie Canal is."

"Seventy feet wide on the surface and fifty-six feet wide at the
bottom," said Grant promptly.

"I suppose we'll have to take your word for it," said George as his
friends laughed at his discomfiture. "We can't dispute you and even if
you don't know anything about it you tell it as if you believed it to
be the most solemn truth in the world."

"It's true, just as I'm telling you," said Grant.

"How about the new canal that New York State is building now?"

"I have told you about that too," said Grant, "but then you have to
have a good many review lessons with some people."

"That's all right, but just the same tell me about the new canal. How
wide is it?"

"That's one hundred and twenty-three to one hundred and seventy-one
feet wide on the surface, and seventy-five feet wide at the bottom. Of
course there are some places," Grant added, "when it runs into a lake
or a pond where it is a good deal wider than that. But as far as the
digging is concerned that's the width."

"Is it deeper than the Erie Canal?"

"Yes, sir. The Erie Canal is about seven feet deep and the new one is
about twelve feet deep. It's going to be deep enough to take in boats
of three thousand tons."

As soon as their breakfast had been eaten, and a fresh supply of
gasoline had been obtained, once more in high spirits the boys started
in their swift motor-boat.

Their experie