es. The horses do not swim. They walk on
the towing-path, with a rope tied to them, and the other end to the
barge. So it gets pulled along. The bargees we knew were a good friendly
sort, and used to let us go all over the barges when they were in a good
temper. They were not at all the sort of bullying, cowardly fiends in
human form that the young hero at Oxford fights a crowd of,
single-handed, in books.

The river does not smell nice when its bones are showing. But we went
along down, because Oswald wanted to get some cobbler's wax in Falding
village for a bird-net he was making.

But just above Falding Lock, where the river is narrow and straight, we
saw a sad and gloomy sight--a big barge sitting flat on the mud because
there was not water enough to float her.

There was no one on board, but we knew by a red flannel waistcoat that
was spread out to dry on top that the barge belonged to friends of ours.

Then Alice said, "They have gone to find the man who turns on the water
to fill the pen. I dare say they won't find him. He's gone to his
dinner, I shouldn't wonder. What a lovely surprise it would be if they
came back to find their barge floating high and dry on a lot of water!
_Do_ let's do it. It's a long time since any of us did a kind action
deserving of being put in the Book of Golden Deeds."

We had given that name to the minute-book of that beastly "Society of
the Wouldbegoods." Then you could think of the book if you wanted to
without remembering the Society. I always tried to forget both of them.

Oswald said, "But how? _You_ don't know how. And if you did we haven't
got a crow-bar."

I cannot help telling you that locks are opened with crow-bars. You push
and push till a thing goes up and the water runs through. It is rather
like the little sliding-door in the big door of a hen-house.

"I know where the crow-bar is," Alice said. "Dicky and I were down here
yesterday when you were su--" She was going to say sulking, I know, but
she remembered manners ere too late, so Oswald bears her no malice. She
went on: "Yesterday, when you were up-stairs. And we saw the
water-tender open the lock and the weir sluices. It's quite easy, isn't
it, Dicky?"

"As easy as kiss your hand," said Dicky; "and what's more, I know where
he keeps the other thing he opens the sluices with. I votes we do."

"Do let's, if we can," Noel said, "and the bargees will bless the names
of their unknown benefactors. They might make