rtunately, Jack was at hand to stop them, or the dismantled wagon
might have gone flying across the lot, even fast enough to suit Link's
notion of speed.

Rufe made one quick effort to prevent the boards from tipping up, then
leaped aside, while the discharged load shot past him.

Chokie, screaming, held fast to the sides of his tub with both hands.
Wad, intending to jump, plunged into the deepest part of the river. Link
made a snatch at the barrel, and, playing at leap-frog over it (very
unwillingly), went headlong into the deep hole.

Chokie met with a wonderfully good fortune; his tub was launched so
neatly, and ballasted so nicely by him sitting in the bottom, that it
shipped but a splash of water, and he floated away, unhurt and scarcely
wet at all, amidst the general ruin.

The wagon-boards, relieved of their load, tumbled back upon the wheels.
To add to the confusion, Lion barked furiously.

Jack, frightened at first, finally began to laugh, when he saw Chokie
sailing away, under full scream, and Wad and Link scrambling out of the
water.

"So you were the fellows that were not going to get wet!" cried Rufe.
"Pick out your barrel and empty tubs, while I catch Chokie!"

The river, even in the deepest place, was not very deep; and Wad and
Link came wading out, blowing water from their mouths, flirting water
from their hair, and shaking water from their rescued hats, in a way
that made Rufe (after he had stranded Chokie in his tub) roll upon the
grass in convulsions.

"Laugh, then!" cried Wad in a rage; "I'll give you something to laugh
at!" And, catching up a tub partly filled with water, he rushed with it
to take wet vengeance on his dry brother.

Before Rufe, helpless with laughter, could move to defend himself, tub,
water, and Wad, all together, were upon him,--the tub capsizing over his
head and shoulders, Wad tumbling upon the tub, and the water running out
in little rivulets below.

Rufe was pretty wet, but still laughing, when he crawled out, like a
snail from under his shell, and got upon his feet, clutching the tub to
hurl it at Wad, who fled.

"You are the only one who has got any dry fun out of this scrape!" Rufe
said, trying to brush the water out of his neck and breast.

His words were addressed to Jack, and they proved more strictly true
than he intended; for just then Chokie, trying to get out of his
stranded tub, tipped it over, and went out of it, upon his hands and
knees, into the ri