wn to the lake with a piece of clothesline. On the way
he whistled to Zip, the playful dog.

"What are you going to do with him?" asked Russ.

"I'm going to see if he'll give me a ride," answered Laddie.

"A ride? How? There isn't any express wagon here."

"I don't need an express wagon," said Laddie. "I'm going to make Zip be a
whale, or maybe a shark, and pull me on my raft-boat."

"How can you?" asked Russ.

"I'll show you," Laddie answered.

He tied one end of the piece of clothesline to his raft, and on the other
end of the line he made fast a round stick.

"Here, Zip! Zip!" cried Laddie, "Go after the stick!"

He threw the stick, still tied to the rope, into the water of the lake, as
far as he could from shore.

"You run down the shore a little farther and whistle to Zip," said Laddie
to Russ. "You can whistle better than I can. When Zip swims to you with
the stick in his mouth he'll pull me on the raft."

"Oh, I wonder if he will!" exclaimed Russ.

Zip, the big dog, was already swimming out to get the floating stick, and
Laddie took his place on the raft, which he had pushed out from shore.

"I'll have a fine ride!" said the little boy.

CHAPTER XVI

MUN BUN SEES SOMETHING

"Here, Zip! Ho, Zip! Come here!" called Russ, and he whistled to the dog,
which was swimming along with the stick in his mouth.

The dog heard, and, turning toward the shore of the lake, made his way to
Russ, who was standing on the little sandy beach. And, as Zip swam along,
and pulled on the clothesline, which was fast to the stick in his mouth,
and also fast to the raft on which stood Laddie Bunker, the little boy was
given a ride.

Zip was a strong dog, and as the raft was light, and as Laddie was not
heavy, the swimming animal had no trouble in pulling the queer boat after
him.

"Oh, I'm having a fine ride!" shouted Laddie, as he stood in his bare feet
on the raft, over which the water washed. "Come on, Russ! You can have a
ride after I do."

"Will your raft hold me?" asked his brother.

"We can put some more boards on and make it," Laddie answered. "Oh, we'll
have lots of fun!"

"Come on, Zip! Come on! That's a good dog!" called Russ, and the dog,
which was used to swimming out into the lake and bringing back sticks that
the children threw, swam on toward shore with the round piece of wood to
which the clothesline was fastened still in his mouth. And of course as
Zip pulled on the line he also pulled t