ark. That's it; well done. You are put over nearer one side
than the other to give you a better purchase on your oars. You are
toler'ble cool now, and act more like human critters than you did
t'other day, and we are ready to go to work. Mind what I said about the
bow and stroke oarsmen. Go on, Frank."

"Stand by!" said the coxswain.

"That means 'Ready!' as the sojers use the word," Uncle Ben explained.
"Here at the landing, you know just what's comin' next. Go on, Frank."

"Ready! Up oars!" continued Frank, making a slight pause between the
commands.

"Good!" said the old seaman. "The captain's monkey couldn't do it half
as well as that!"

"Keep your seat, Ned Graham," said Tony in a low tone, when the other
bowman was going to take his oar.

"Shove off!" Frank commanded while all the oars were still up in the
air.

Tony and Fred Harper took the boat-hooks, and with the help of the ones
next to them shoved the boat far away from the rock.

The two bow and the two stroke oarsmen elevated their oars, and the
whole twelve were then in unison.

"Good!" almost shouted the teacher. "That was done beautiful! Go on,
Frank."

"Stand by!" said Frank; though this warning command is not often used,
but the coxswain wished to do all he could to keep the oarsmen cool and
collected. "Let fall!"

The blades all struck the water as one, and not a single one touched
the gunwale. Not one failed to ship his oar, or drop it into the
rowlock.

"You all act like you had been made over since we met last," said Ben,
rubbing his hands with delight.

"We have been studying up this thing, Uncle Ben," Fred Harper
explained. "At recess every day we practised it together, and some one
filled out what the others had forgotten. We have tried to be perfect."

"Glad to hear it, youngsters; and you have been very near perfect so
far. Go on, Frank."

"Stand by! Give way together!"

This was the most difficult movement of the whole; but the boys, for
this reason, had practised it the most in their thoughts, and in their
dummy rehearsals, and it was done as well as the others had been, much
to the surprise of Uncle Ben, who had been sure they would fail on this
command. They did not fail, and caught the stroke as well as though
they had been practising for a month. The boat went off at great speed;
and Ben had hardly a word of fault to find with the rowing, though he
corrected some of the individual movements. He permitted the crew to