if we had taken
them singly.

Now, as we worked, I glanced occasionally towards Jessop, and saw that he
stitched a band of the light duck around each end of the framework which
he had made, and these bands I judged to be about four feet wide, in this
wise leaving an open space between the two, so that now the thing looked
something like to a Punchinello show, only that the opening was in the
wrong place, and there was too much of it. After that he bent on a bridle
to two of the uprights, making this of a piece of good hemp rope which he
found in the tent, and then he called out to the bo'sun that the kite was
finished. At that, the bo'sun went over to examine it, the which did all
of us; for none of us had seen the like of such a thing, and, if I
misdoubt not, few of us had much faith that it would fly; for it seemed
so big and unwieldy. Now, I think that Jessop gathered something of our
thoughts; for, calling to one of us to hold the kite, lest it should
blow away, he went into the tent, and brought out the remainder of the
hemp line, the same from which he had cut the bridle. This, he bent on to
it, and, giving the end into our hands, bade us go back with it until all
the slack was taken up, he, in the meanwhile, steadying the kite. Then,
when we had gone back to the extent of the line, he shouted to us to take
a very particular hold upon it, and then, stooping, caught the kite by
the bottom, and threw it into the air, whereupon, to our amazement,
having swooped somewhat to one side, it steadied and mounted upwards into
the sky like a very bird.

Now at this, as I have made mention, we were astonished, for it appeared
like a miracle to us to see so cumbrous a thing fly with so much grace
and persistence, and further, we were mightily surprised at the manner in
which it pulled upon the rope, tugging with such heartiness that we were
like to have loosed it in our first astonishment, had it not been for the
warning which Jessop called to us.

And now, being well assured of the properness of the kite, the bo'sun
bade us to draw it in, the which we did only with difficulty, because of
its bigness and the strength of the breeze. And when we had it back again
upon the hilltop, Jessop moored it very securely to a great piece of
rock, and, after that, having received our approbation, he turned-to with
us upon the making of the sennit.

Presently, the evening drawing near, the bo'sun set us to the building of
fires about th