s or so in the manner I have
described Lawless, who never could remain quiet long, dropped the
blade of his oar into the water with a splash that made us all start,
exclaiming as he did so:--

"Well, this may be very sentimental and romantic, and all that sort of
thing, but it doesn't strike me as particularly entertaining. Why, you
fellows were all asleep, I believe."

"Heigho!" exclaimed Oaklands, rousing himself, with a deep sigh, "I was
in such a delicious reverie; what a barbarian you are, Lawless! you seem
utterly ignorant of the pleasures of the _dolce-far-niente_."

"_Dolce-far-devilskin_!" was the reply, in tones of the greatest
contempt. "I would not be as lazy as you are, Oaklands, for any money.
You are fitter to lounge about in some old woman's drawing-room, than to
handle an oar." "Well, I don't know," answered Oaklands, quietly, "but I
think I can pull as long as you can."

~97~~"You do, do you?" rejoined Lawless, "it will be odd to me, if you
can. I don't think I was stroke-oar in the crack boat at Eton for a
year, without knowing how to row a little; what do you say to having a
try at once?"

"With all my heart," replied Oaklands, divesting himself of his
waistcoat, braces, and neckcloth--which latter article he braced tightly
round his waist--an example speedily followed by Lawless, who exclaimed,
as he completed his preparations:--

"Now, you young shavers, pull in your oars, and we'll give you a ride,
all free, gratis, for nothing".

Mullins and I hastened to comply with Lawless's directions, by placing
the oars and seating ourselves so as not to interfere with the trim of
the boat; while he and Oaklands, each taking a firm grasp of his oar,
commenced pulling away in real earnest. They were more evenly matched
than may be at first imagined, for Lawless, though much shorter than
Oaklands, was very square-built and broad about the shoulders, and his
arms, which were unusually long in proportion to his height, presented a
remarkable development of muscle, while it was evident, from the manner
in which he handled his oar, that he was the more practised rower of the
two. The boat, urged by their powerful strokes, appeared to fly through
the water, while cliff and headland (we were rowing along shore about
half a mile from the beach) came in view and disappeared again like
scenes in some moving panorama. We must now have proceeded some miles,
yet still the rival champions continued their exertions