Link. Then, whispering to Jack: "There's leeches in this
river; they get right into a fellow's flesh and suck his blood like
sixty."

Wad proposed to begin with the barrel, and to have Link stand at the end
of the wagon, receive the pails, pass them to him, and pass them back to
Rufe empty.

"Why not move the barrel to the end of the wagon, and fill it about two
thirds full, and then move it back again? I'll help you do that," said
Link.

"All right; I'll fill the barrel and one of the tubs; then you shall
fill the other two tubs."

Link agreed to this; while Jack smiled to hear so much talk about doing
so small a thing.

Rufe went in bare-legged, and stood on the edge of the deep hole, where
the water was hardly up to his knees. Much as he disliked, ordinarily,
to set about any work, he was strong and active when once roused; and
the pails of water went up on the wagon about as fast as Wad cared to
take them.

"Hullo! Don't slop so! You're wetting my feet!" cried Wad.

"I can't keep from spilling a drop once in a while. You might have taken
off your shoes and rolled up your trousers as I did."

The barrel was soon two thirds full, and Wad called upon Link to help
him move it forward. Link left his seat by Jack's side, and walked back
to the rear of the wagon. Wad, as we know, was already there. So was the
barrel of water, standing just back of the rear axletree. So also was a
fresh pail of water, which Rufe had placed at the extreme end, because
Wad was not ready to take it.

At that moment the oxen, hungry for fresh grass, and having nipped all
within reach of their noses, started up a little. Jack, thinking to
prevent mischief by running to their heads, leaped from the front of the
wagon.

This abrupt removal of weight from one end, and large increase of
avoirdupois at the other, produced a natural but very surprising result.
Chokie in his tub, though at the long end of the beam, so to speak (the
rear axletree being the fulcrum), was not heavy enough to counterbalance
two brothers and a barrel of water at the short end.

He suddenly felt himself rising in the air, and sliding with the empty
tubs. His brothers at the same moment felt themselves sinking and
pitching. There was a chorus of shrieks, as they made a desperate effort
to save themselves. Too late; the wagon-bottom reared, and away went
barrel, boys, tubs, everything.

The oxen, starting at the alarm, helped to precipitate the catastrophe.
Fo