d sitting down
they amused themselves by looking over the wall until the waiter brought
them their dinner.[9] The dinner came at length, and the travellers
immediately, with excellent appetites, commenced eating it.

[Footnote 9: For a view of this part of the river see frontispiece.]

"Uncle George," said Rollo, in the middle of the dinner, "my feet are
getting pretty lame."

"Are they?" said Mr. George.

"Yes," said Rollo, "I have walked a great deal lately."

"Then," said Mr. George, "you must let them rest. You must go down to
the river and bathe them in the cool water after dinner, and not walk
any more to-night."

"But I want to go up to Roland's Tower," said Rollo.

"Well," said Mr. George, "perhaps you might do that. You can ride up on
one of the donkeys."

This plan was accordingly agreed to, and as soon as the dinner was ended
it was put in execution.

The donkeys that were used for the ascent of the hill to Roland's Tower
were kept standing, all caparisoned, at the foot of the hill, at the
entrance to a little lane where the pathway commenced. Mr. George and
Rollo had seen them standing there when they came along the road. The
place was very near where they were sitting; so that, after finishing
their dinner, they had only to walk a few steps through the garden, and
thence out through a back gate, when they found themselves in the lane,
and the donkeys and the donkey boys all before them.

Mr. George thought that he should prefer to _walk_ up the mountain; but
Rollo chose a donkey, and with a little assistance from Mr. George he
mounted into the seat. At first he was afraid that he might fall; for
the seat, though there was a sort of back to it, as has already been
described, to keep persons in, seemed rather unsteady, especially when
the donkey began to move.

"It will not do much harm if I do fall," said Rollo, "for the donkey is
not much bigger than a calf."

Mr. George, who was accustomed to leave Rollo a great deal to himself on
all occasions, did not stop in this instance to see him set off, but as
soon as he had got him installed in his seat, began to walk himself up
the pathway, with long strides, and was soon hid from view among the
grapevines, at a turn of the road, leaving Rollo to his own resources
with the donkey and the donkey boy. At first the donkey would not go;
but the boy soon compelled him to set out, by whipping him with the
stick, and away they then went, all three togethe