d you will see
it is more to be depended on than this broken vessel."

I sought out a long flexible plank, and arranged eight tubs on it, close
to each other, leaving a piece at each end to form a curve upwards, like
the keel of a vessel. We then nailed them firmly to the plank, and to
each other. We nailed a plank at each side, of the same length as the
first, and succeeded in producing a sort of boat, divided into eight
compartments, in which it did not appear difficult to make a short
voyage, over a calm sea.

But, unluckily, our wonderful vessel proved so heavy, that our united
efforts could not move it an inch. I sent Fritz to bring me the
jack-screw, and, in the mean time, sawed a thick round pole into pieces;
then raising the fore-part of our work by means of the powerful machine,
Fritz placed one of these rollers under it.

Ernest was very anxious to know how this small machine could accomplish
more than our united strength. I explained to him, as well as I could,
the power of the lever of Archimedes, with which he had declared he
could move the world, if he had but a point to rest it on; and I
promised my son to take the machine to pieces when we were on shore, and
explain the mode of operation. I then told them that God, to compensate
for the weakness of man, had bestowed on him reason, invention, and
skill in workmanship. The result of these had produced a science which,
under the name of _Mechanics_, taught us to increase and extend our
limited powers incredibly by the aid of instruments.

Jack remarked that the jack-screw worked very slowly.

"Better slowly, than not at all," said I. "It is a principle in
mechanics, that what is gained in time is lost in power. The jack is not
meant to work rapidly, but to raise heavy weights; and the heavier the
weight, the slower the operation. But, can you tell me how we can make
up for this slowness?"

"Oh, by turning the handle quicker, to be sure!"

"Quite wrong; that would not aid us at all. Patience and Reason are the
two fairies, by whose potent help I hope to get our boat afloat."

I quickly proceeded to tie a strong cord to the after-part of it, and
the other end to a beam in the ship, which was still firm, leaving it
long enough for security; then introducing two more rollers underneath,
and working with the jack, we succeeded in launching our bark, which
passed into the water with such velocity, that but for our rope it would
have gone out to sea. Unfo