ack to claim it.'

'You will come back, right enough,' said his friend, as he handed him a
pair of sculls. Then with a cheer from the crowd--in which Tom and Roger
heartily joined--the tub was started on its adventurous voyage.

There was intense stillness on the part of the crowd as the tub went
rolling uneasily along, but in a minute the tension was relaxed, as
across the water came the notes of 'There was a jolly miller,' sung with
calm unconcern by the voyager in his strange craft.

'He will do it!' said Roger excitedly. 'It's not the first time he's
sailed in a tub, I feel sure, and if he keeps his head at the bridges he
will do it.'

'Let us hurry to London Bridge; we shall hear if he has got safe, even
if we are not in time to see him land,' said Tom.

'All right,' answered Roger, and off ran the two. They knew all the
short cuts through the City, and by dint of hard running they actually
arrived on the scene before the final act.

'There he is! there he is!' shouted Tom, 'and he is still singing. What
a plucky fellow he must be.'

There in the middle of the water was the tub, sure enough; but the worst
part of the journey had still to be done, for the tide swept very
swiftly under the narrow arches of London Bridge, and the tub spun round
and round till it seemed at one time that it would never make the land.

'It will be swamped!' cried impulsive Tom.

'No! no!' answered Roger, 'he's got it into quieter water already.
There! he's bringing it on shore, and close by us! Let's give him a
cheer, Tom.'

And with hearty goodwill the two boys set up a cheer, and then ran down
into the water to help drag up the tub, and to congratulate the hero of
this strange feat of 1806.

MARVELS OF MAN'S MAKING.

IX.--THE MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL.[2]

[Illustration]

The merchants of Manchester were not satisfied with the means they had
for receiving goods from abroad and dispatching their own in return.
They wanted to be nearer to the sea; but as Manchester was much too
large a place to be carried to the coast, it seemed more reasonable to
carry the sea to Manchester, and so turn the town into an inland port.
They had thought and thought about it for a very long time, without
being able to hit upon any satisfactory plan, when, in 1882, a Mr.
Daniel Adamson invited some friends to his house in the suburbs of
Manchester, and made a proposal and a suggestion which led to the
accomplishment of the great design.