d soon
began to crack, and the crack gradually extended almost to the end of
the board. When he had driven it in pretty far, he told Nathan to see
how he was going to manage with his second wedge. He was now very glad
that he had followed Jonas's advice, and made the second wedge before
trying the first. He inserted the second wedge in the crack, and drove
it in. This forced the wood open more, and loosened the first wedge, so
that he could easily get it out again, and very soon the board was split
entirely in two. Nathan was very much delighted with the whole
operation.

In the same manner, Rollo split two or three other pieces off from his
board, and then Nathan wanted him to let _him_ split one. Rollo was at
first somewhat unwilling to let his little beetle go out of his hand at
all, he was so interested in using it; but considering that it would
give Nathan a good deal of pleasure, he concluded to let him try it
once.

"I will start it for you, Thanny," said he. And he accordingly made a
small cleft by driving in his knife; and then he inserted the wedge, and
drove that in too, just far enough to start the crack, and enable the
wood to retain the wedge. Nathan then took the beetle, and pounded away.

He found that he could not strike such heavy blows as Rollo could, and
yet the wedge gradually penetrated farther and farther, and the crack
opened wider and wider, to Nathan's great delight. Rollo was himself
gratified to see how much his little brother was pleased with his beetle
and wedges. When the first wedge was driven fully in, he handed him the
other, and showed him how to insert that into the crack made by the
first wedge, at a little distance from it. Nathan then drove in the
second wedge, and this soon finished the work, for it split the piece
off entirely, and Nathan took it up, and looked at it, very much pleased
at what he had done.

"Now," said Rollo, "give me the beetle again."

"No," said Nathan, "I want to split some more."

"O, no," said Rollo, in a tone of good-humored expostulation; "no; it is
_my_ beetle and wedge. I let you have it to split one stick off; but now
you ought to let me have it again, immediately."

"No," said Nathan, "I want to split some more."

Rollo took up the two wedges, and would not let Nathan have them, and
Nathan held the beetle away behind him so that Rollo should not have
that. Thus they seemed to be in inextricable difficulty. Rollo did not
know what to do.

"