The river bank (11)

The river bank (11)

As they glided along, the Mole was full of lunch, and self-satisfaction, and pride, and already quite at home in a boat (so he thought).

Presently he said,
"  Ratty, Ratty ! Please, I want to row now ! "

The Rat shook his head with a smile.

" Not yet, my young friend," he said.

" Wait till you've had a few lessons. It's not so easy as it looks. "

The Mole was quiet for a minute or two, but he began to feel more and more jealous of Rat, sculling so strong and so easily along.

And his pride began to whisper that he could do it as well.

Suddenly he jumped up and seized the sculls, and the Rat was taken by surprise and fell backwards off his seat with his legs in the air.

While the triumphant Mole took his palce and grabbed the sculls with entire confidence.

" Stop it, you SILLY ass ! " cried the Rat, from the bottom of the boat.
" You can't do it. You'll have us over ! "

The Mole flung his sculls back with a flourish, and made a great dig at the water.

He missed the surface altogether, his leg flew up above his head and he found himself lying on the top of the Rat.

He made a grab at the side of the boat, and the next momentー
Splash! Over went the boat,
and　he found himself strugging in the river.

" O my, how cold the water was, " he said to himself, "O, how very wet it felt."


(次回の挿絵予定でしたが、ここに追加します)

(11/20)