nd soon turn her stern round, while you hold on
to the bow, so that it doesn't slide off and give us all our trouble
over again to get it back."

So saying, he let himself down into the sea, and catching hold of the
aftermost end of the boat, which was now much deeper down in the water,
owing to the bow being raised, struck vigorously with his free hand,
swimming on his side, and soon managed to slew it round so that it
pointed athwart-wise to the raft.

"Now, David," he said, when this was accomplished, "if you'll come into
the water too,--I'm sorry to trouble you, old man, but I can't do it all
by myself--and put your shoulder under the other gunwale of the boat,
the same as mine is under this, and hold on to our staging at the same
time, we'll be able by degrees to lift and drag it bodily on to the
raft, as the send of the sea, as you call it, will assist us."

"Why, Jonathan, you ought to be a sailor," said David admiringly. "It's
the very thing to be done, and just what I was going to suggest." And
he also slid off into the sea, taking particular care of his wounded
leg, and went to his companion's assistance, placing himself in the
position he had advised.

The two boys exerted themselves to the utmost, held on tightly to the
raft as they "trod the water," as swimmers say, with their feet, lifting
the boat an inch or two at a time with each wave that rolled towards
them, until, little by little, they got one end well upon the raft,
which it sank quite a foot in the water, when they clambered out of the
sea and got on to it, too.

"Now," said David, "comes the tug of war, to get the boat over, right
side uppermost."

"And then," rejoined Jonathan, "we'll have to bale her out. How will
you manage that?"

"With our boots, to be sure," was the prompt answer.

"Oh yes," said Jonathan, "I quite forgot those. Let us get her over at
once; it is cold work standing thus in the water; and we may as well be
comfortable as not!"

After a long and weary struggle, during the course of which the boys
were in the water, with their weight hanging on to the keel, and
endeavouring to turn it over--they succeeded at last, almost when they
were half inclined to give up the task as hopeless.

Then when the boat was righted, they pushed it off the raft, and David
kept it in proper position, while Jonathan, taking off one of his boots,
baled away until he was tired; David relieving him, and he taking his
place in keeping