s the
bay this afternoon--yes--rowed. What say? Yes, _she_ rowed, too. They say
they're goin' on to-morrow, round Judith."

"Say, now," she finally appealed to us in frank perplexity, "what're you
doin' it for?"

"We like it," said Jonathan peacefully.

"Like it, do you? Well, now, if that don't beat all! Say--you know? I
wouldn't do that, what you're doin', not if you paid me. Have another cup
o' tea, do."

The next morning she bade us good-bye with the air of entrusting us to
that Providence which is known to have a special care for children and
fools.

In fact, through all the varying experiences of our cruise, one thing
never varied. That was, the expression on the faces of the people we met.
Wind and water and coast and birds all greeted us differently with each
new day, but no matter how many new faces we met, we found in them always
the same look--a look at once friendly and quizzical, the look one casts
upon nice children for whose antics one is not responsible, the look one
casts upon very small dogs. Why? Is it so odd a thing to like to row a
little boat? If it had been a yacht, now, or even a motor-boat, the
expression would have been different. Apparently the oars were what did
it.

On that particular morning, word of our doings must have got abroad, for
as we stepped out on the brick sidewalk of the shady main street a little
crowd was waiting for us. It was a funny procession:--Jonathan first, with
the guns and the water-jug, then a boy with a wheelbarrow, on which were
piled the two dunnage bags, the metal box, the lantern, the axe, the chart
tube, and a few other things. An old man and some boys followed curiously,
then I came, with two big baking-powder cans, very gorgeous because the
red paper was not yet off them, full of provisions pressed on us by our
friendly hostess. Tagging behind me, came an old woman, a big girl, and a
half-dozen children. It was the kind of escort that usually attends the
hand-organ and monkey on their infrequent visits.

We loaded up the boat and pulled off, a little stiff but fairly fit after
all. The group waved us off and then stood obviously talking us over. One
of the men called after us, with a sudden inspiration, "Pity ye' hevn't
got a _motor_ in there!"

Though we didn't want to be a motor-boat, we were not above receiving
courtesies from one, and when the Providence tacitly invoked by our
hostess sent one chugging along up to us, with the proposal to take u