The boys laughed; they thought that it was not very good policy for Forester to give them this warning of his intention, as it put them all upon their guard.  Presently the word of command came very suddenly—­“Attention!” Every voice was hushed in an instant; the boys assumed immediately an erect position, and looked directly toward Forester.

“Joseph,” said Forester, “when I give order Toss, you are to take up your oar and raise the blade into the air, and hold it perpendicularly, with the end of the handle resting on the thwart by your side, on the side of the boat opposite to the one on which you are going to row,—­Toss!”

So Joseph raised his oar in the manner directed, the other boys looking on.

“Let it down again,” said Forester.  Joseph obeyed.

“Crew at ease,” said Forester.

Forester acted very wisely in not keeping the attention of the crew very long at a time.  By relieving them very frequently, he made the distinction between being under orders and at ease a very marked and striking one, so that the boys easily kept it in mind.  In a few moments he commanded attention again, with the same success as before.  He then ordered another boy to toss his oar, then another, and so on, until he had taught the movement to each one separately.  He gave to each one such explanations as he needed, and when necessary he made them perform the evolution twice, so as to be sure that each one understood exactly what was to be done.  Then Forester gave the command for them all to toss together, and they did so quite successfully.  The oars rose and stood perpendicularly like so many masts; while Forester paddled the boat slowly through the water.  Then he directed the boys to let the oars down again, gently, to their places along the thwarts, and put the crew at ease.

The boys perceived now that they were making progress.  They were gaining slowly, it is true, but surely, and Marco saw where the cause of his failure was.  He had not realized how entirely ignorant all these boys were of the whole mystery of managing an oar and of acting in concert; and besides, he had not had experience enough as a teacher, to know how short the steps must be made, in teaching any science or art which is entirely new.

In the same slow and cautious manner, Forester taught the boys to let the blades of their oars fall gently into the water, at the command, “Let fall.”  He taught one at a time, as before, each boy dropping the blades into the water and letting the middle of the oar come into the row-lock, while he held the handle in his hands ready to row.  Then, without letting them row any, he ordered them to toss again; that is, to raise the oars out of the water and hold them in the air, with the end of the handle resting upon the thwart.  He drilled them in this exercise for some time, until they could go through it with ease, regularity, and dispatch.  He then gave the order, “Crew at ease,” and let the boys rest themselves and enjoy conversation.