By this time they began to draw near the mill.  They landed near some great logs which were floating in the water, ready to be drawn up into the mill and sawed.  They went up the bank and thence into the mill.  The man who owned the boat, was tending the mill.  When he wanted a log, he would take the end of a long chain down a sloping plane of planks which led to the water, and fasten it to a log.  The other end of the chain was fastened round an axle in the mill, and when all was ready, the man would set the axle in motion by the machinery, and that would draw the log up.  When the log was in the mill, the man would roll it over into its place, on a long platform of timber, where it was to be sawed.  Then he would set the saw machinery in motion, and the platform would begin to move forward, and the saw at the same time to go up and down, sawing the log as it advanced.  Thus it would saw it through, from end to end, and then, by reversing the motion of the machinery, the log was carried back again.  The man would then move it a little to one side, just far enough for the thickness of the board which he wished to make, and then begin to saw again.  He moved the log by means of an iron bar with a sharp point, which he struck into the end of the log, and thus pried it over, one end at a time.  When the log was placed in its new position, the machinery was set in motion again, and the log was sawed through in another place, from end to end, parallel to the first sawing, leaving the width of a board between.  This process was continued until the log was sawed entirely into boards, except a piece in the middle, which it was necessary to leave of double thickness, and this answered for a plank.

Marco was much interested in watching this process, and when the sawing of this log was completed, and another log drawn up into its place, Forester introduced the subject of the boat.  He told the man what he wished to do, namely, to have some row-locks or thole-pins made along the sides of the boat, and some oars to row it with.  It would also be necessary to have seats, or thwarts, as they are called, placed in such a manner that there should be one just before each row-lock.  These seats were for the oarsmen to sit upon, in rowing.  The man told Forester that he might do any thing he pleased with the boat.  He was sure that Forester would do it no injury.  Forester asked him who would be a good man to do the work, and the man recommended to him a wagon-maker who had a shop very near the mill.

They went to the wagon-maker and explained to him what they wanted.  The wagon-maker readily undertook the work.  They all went down to the boat together, to plan the seats and the places for the thole-pins.  They concluded to have three pairs on each side.  This would require six oars.  These oars the wagon-maker promised to make, and to have all the work done by the beginning of the next week.  They also concluded to have the boat taken out of the water and thoroughly calked again, and her bottom payed over with pitch, as she was not perfectly tight.  This being all arranged, Forester and Marco began to walk toward home.