middle,
and one more at the other end, and then, if I can find something for a
pole, I'll take a little sail. Look about a little, my boy, won't you,"
continued he, "and see if you can't find a pole, while I am nailing the
other boards."

The boy accordingly went away in pursuit of a pole, while Marco nailed
first the middle board, and then the end one. He came back just after
Marco had got the first nail of the end board driven in, and as soon as
he came in sight of the logs and of Marco, he exclaimed--

"You're adrift! you're adrift!"

Marco got up immediately, and looked around. He was indeed adrift. His
weight, pressing upon the outer ends of the logs, had lifted the other
ends off the shore, and the raft was slowly floating up the stream. The
reason why it floated _up_ was, that there was at this place what they
call an eddy, which is a current near the shore, flowing up the stream.
Such eddies are caused, generally, by curves in the banks.

As soon as Marco perceived that he was afloat, he said--

"Throw me the pole."

The boy threw the pole, and it just reached the raft. Marco took it in,
and, thrusting the end hastily down into the water, he endeavored to
push himself back by pushing against the bottom. But it was too late. He
had got already into such deep water that he could scarcely reach the
bottom, and he could not push the raft back.

In the mean time, the raft slowly moved up the river.

"Never mind," said Marco. "I'm going right for the mill, and when I get
there, they'll come out for me in a boat. In the mean time, I'd better
finish my raft."

So saying, he kneeled down and finished nailing on the last board. When
he rose again, he found that he had advanced considerably, and the boy
had accompanied him, walking along by the shore. He perceived, however,
that he was gradually getting away from the shore, and, looking forward,
he saw, to his consternation, that the eddy did not extend to the mill;
but that, at a short distance above him, it swept out into the main
current of the river, which was running by a point of land at the upper
part of the eddy, with great speed. The raft advanced slowly till it
came to this current, when it turned around, and began to glide swiftly
down the stream.

"Boy," cried Marco, in great distress, "run to the mill as fast as you
can go, and tell them that I have gone down the river, adrift. Tell them
to send a boat after me as quick as they can. My cousin Fore