They did indeed find poor Jacob in a fit, but it was a fit of
sleepiness. There he lay in a recess of the gallery, snoring like a
trooper! The chorus of laughter that followed this discovery brought an
angry official to the spot.

"What now! None of this racket! Here, you beer barrel, wake up!" And
Master Jacob received a very unceremonious shaking.

As soon as Peter saw that Jacob's condition was not serious, he hastened
to the street to empty his unfortunate cap. While he was stuffing in his
handkerchief to prevent the already frozen crown from touching his head,
the rest of the boys came down, dragging the bewildered and indignant
Jacob in their midst.

"The order to start was again given. Master Poot was wide-awake at last.
The ice was a little rough and broken just there, but every boy was in
high spirits.

"Shall we go on by the canal or the river?" asked Peter.

"Oh, the river, by all means," said Carl. "It will be such fun; they say
it is perfect skating all the way, but it's much farther."

Jacob Poot instantly became interested.

"I vote for the canal!" he cried.

"Well, the canal it shall be," responded the captain, "if all are
agreed."

"Agreed!" they echoed, in rather a disappointed tone, and Captain Peter
led the way.

"All right, come on. We can reach Haarlem in an hour!"

Big Manias and Little Oddities

While skating along at full speed, they heard the cars from Amsterdam
coming close behind them.

"Halloo!" cried Ludwig, glancing toward the rail track, "who can't beat
a locomotive? Let's give it a race!"

The whistle screamed at the very idea--so did the boys--and at it they
went.

For an instant the boys were ahead, hurrahing with all their might--only
for an instant, but even THAT was something.

This excitement over, they began to travel more leisurely and indulge in
conversation and frolic. Sometimes they stopped to exchange a word with
the guards who were stationed at certain distances along the canal.
These men, in winter, attend to keeping the surface free from
obstruction and garbage. After a snowstorm they are expected to sweep
the feathery covering away before it hardens into a marble pretty to
look at but very unwelcome to skaters. Now and then the boys so far
forgot their dignity as to clamber among the icebound canal boats
crowded together in a widened harbor off the canal, but the watchful
guards would soon spy them out and order them down with a growl.

N