18 PEPACTON: A SUMMER VOYAGE. 



go far, may be we could have got him to give us a 

 ride." 



They drew near, guided their crafts to shore beside 

 me, and tied up, their poles answering for hawsers. 

 They proved to be Johnny and Denny Dwire, aged 

 ten and twelve. They were friendlv boys, and 

 though not a bit bashful were not a bit impertinent. 

 And Johnny, who did the most of the talking, had 

 such a sweet, musical voice ; it was like a bird's. It 

 seems Denny had run away, a day or two before, to 

 his uncle's, five miles above, and Johnny had been 

 after him, and was bringing his prisoner home on a 

 float ; and it was hard to tell which was enjoying the 

 fun most, the captor or the captured. 



" Why did you run away ? " said I to Denny. 



" Oh, 'cause," replied he, with an air which said 

 plainly, "The reasons are too numerous to mention." 



" Boys, you know, will do so, sometimes," said 

 Johnny, and he smiled upon his brother in a way 

 that made me think they had a very good under- 

 standing upon the subject. 



They could both swim, yet their floats looked very 

 perilous : three pieces of old plank or slabs, with two 

 cross-pieces and a fragment of a board for a rider, 

 and made without nails or withes. 



"In some places, said Johnny, "one plank was 

 here and another off there, but we managed, some- 

 how, to keep atop of them." 



" Let 's leave our floats here, and ride with hiu 

 tlie rest of the way," said one to the other. 



