But you will never learn to swim until you have become accustomed to
putting your head under water. You can not swim with a dry face. The first
time we went swimming, we couldn't persuade Dutchy to try it. The water
was deep right up to the very bank and he had never been in over his head.
Instead he sat up in the diving tree swinging his feet and trying to hide
the fact that he was having a dull time.
"Say, we've got to douse that fellow," said Reddy.
"You're right; he needs a wash," said Jim. "Let's sneak up behind him and
chuck him in."
They landed a little ways up the stream behind a large bush and then crept
down stealthily on their victim. But Dutchy had his suspicions aroused and
saw them coming. He scrambled out of the tree in a jiffy and tore off into
the woods as fast as his legs could carry him.
Swimming on a Plank.
[Illustration: Fig. 86. Swimming on a Plank.]
We didn't expect to see him again that afternoon, for the pace he was
leading should have carried him miles in no time; but while he couldn't
swim, Dutchy had his own ideas of fun on the water. It was about twenty
minutes later that we saw him coming down-stream lying full length on one
of the 2-inch planks taken from the bridge wreck.
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