anything that can swim," replied Jupp, quite in his
element when talking of the sea, and always ready to spin a yarn or tell
what he knew. "It might be made of spare spars, or boards, or anything
that can float. When I was in the _Neptune_ off Terra del Faygo I've
seed the natives there coming off to us seated on a couple of branches
of a tree lashed together, leaves and all."

"Oh, thank you," said Teddy, rejoiced to hear this, the very hint he
wanted; "but what did they do for oars?"

"They used sticks, in course, sir," answered the other, quite
unconscious of what the result of his information would be, and that he
was sowing the seeds of a wonderful project; and Teddy presently leading
on the conversation in a highly diplomatic way to other themes, Jupp
forgot bye and bye what he had been talking about.

Not so, however, Master Teddy.

The very next day, taking up Puck in his arms, and getting away
unperceived from home soon after the early dinner, which the children
always partook of at noon, he stole down to the pond, where, collecting
some of the little villagers to assist him, a grand foray was made on
the fencing of the fields and a mass of material brought to the water's
edge.

Teddy had noted what Jupp had said about the Tierra del Fuegans lashing
their rude rafts together, so he took down with him from the house a
quantity of old clothes-lines which he had discovered in the back
garden. These he now utilised in tying the pieces of paling from the
fences together with, after which a number of small boughs and branches
from the hedges were laid on top of the structure, which was then pushed
off gently from the bank on to the surface of the pond.

Hurrah, it floated all right!

Teddy therefore had it drawn in again, and stepped upon the raft, which,
although it sank down lower in the water and was all awash, still seemed
buoyant. He also took Puck with him, and tried to incite some others of
the boys to venture out in company with him.

The little villagers, however, were wiser in their generation, and being
unused to nautical enterprise were averse to courting danger.

"You're a pack of cowards!" Teddy exclaimed, indignant and angry at
their drawing back thus at the last moment. "I'll go by myself."

"Go 'long, master," they cried, noways abashed by his comments on their
conduct; "we'll all watch 'ee."

Naturally plucky, Teddy did not need any further spurring, so, all alone
on his raft, wi