high, and on a level with the sea, the ship can sail into the lock."

"But it can't get down into the canal," said Rollo.

"No," replied Mr. George, "not yet. But now the men shut the sea gates,
and thus shut the ship in. They then open the passages through the canal
gates, and this lets the water out of the lock until it subsides to the
level of that in the canal, and the ship settles down with it. But the
sea cannot come in, for the sea gates, that are now behind the ship, are
shut. When the water in the lock has gone down to the canal level, then
they can open the gates, and the ship can sail along out of the lock
into the canal.

"Thus they lock the ship down into the canal at one end, and when she
has passed through the canal, they lock her up into the Y again at the
other."

"Yes," said Rollo. "I understand it now. And shall we go into the canal
through the locks in this way?"

"I don't know," said Mr. George. "I'll ask James."

So Mr. George beckoned to James to come to him, and asked him whether
they should enter the canal through the lock.

"No," said James. "The ferry boat does not go into the canal at all. We
go into a little dock or harbor by the side of it, and the passengers
walk over the dike, and down to the canal, where they find the boats
ready for them that they are to take."

"Why don't they pass from those boats through the locks, and let them
come across to Amsterdam?" asked Rollo, "and then we might get on board
them there, and so not have to change from one boat to the other."

"Because it takes some time, and some trouble," said James, "to pass any
thing through the locks, and it is not worth while to do it, except in
case of large and valuable ships. So the boats and steamers that ply
along the canal are left inside the lock, and the passengers are taken
to and from them by the ferry boat."

The ferry boat, by this time, began to approach the shore. It entered
into a little opening in the land, which formed a sort of harbor. Here
the passengers were landed at a wharf, which was surrounded by small
buildings. Thence they ascended what was evidently a large dike. When
they reached the top of the dike they saw below them, on the other side
of it, the beginning of the canal. It lay several feet lower than the
water of the harbor in which they had left the ferry boat; but it was
quite wide, and it was bordered by broad dikes with avenues of trees
upon them, on either side. On one side, un