d the bread
was inclined to be mouldy and tasted of the box; but the birds were
singing, the sky was bright and cool, and a fresh western wind was
blowing.

Rance was eager to sail, and as soon as he had put away the breakfast,
he shouldered his mast.

"Come on, boys, now for the boat."

"I guess not," said Milton.

The boat was soon rigged with a little triangular sail, with an oar to
steer by, lashed in with wires. Lincoln finally had courage to get in,
and with beating heart Rance pushed off.

The sail caught the breeze, and the boat began to move.

"Hurrah!" Rance threw water on the sail; where he learned _that_ was a
mystery. The effect was felt at once. The cloth swelled, became
impervious to the wind, and the boat swept steadily forward.

Lincoln was cautious. "That is all right--the question is, can we get
back?"

"You wait an' see me tack."

"All right. Tack or nail, only let's see you get back where we started
from." Lincoln was skeptical of sailboats. He had heard about sailing
"just where you wanted to go," but he had his doubts about it.

The boat obeyed the rudder nicely, came around slowly, and started in
on a new tack smoothly and steadily. After this successful trip, the
boys did little else but sail.

"I'm going up to town with it after dinner," Rance announced. But when
they came out after dinner, they found the sky overcast and a strong
breeze blowing from the southwest.

Milton refused to experiment. "I'd sooner walk than ride in your boat,"
he explained.

"All right; you pays your money--you takes your choice," replied Rance.

The boat drove out into the lake steadily and swiftly, making the water
ripple at the stern delightfully; but when they got past a low-lying
island where the waves ran free, the ship began to heave and slide
wildly, and Lincoln grew a little pale and set in the face, which made
Rance smile.

"This is something like it. I'm going to go out about half a mile, then
strike straight for the town."

It was not long before he found the boat quite unmanageable. The long
oar crowded him nearly off the seat, as he tried to hold her straight
out into mid-water. She was flat-bottomed, and as she got into the
region of whitecaps, she began to be blown bodily with the wind.

Lincoln was excited, but not scared; he realized now that they were in
great danger. Rance continued to smile, but it was evident that he too
was thinking new thoughts. He held the sail with his