Forester ordered the crew ashore, at a place where there was a road leading down to the water’s edge.  This road was made by the teams which came down to get logs and lumber from the water.  At Forester’s direction, the boys drew the bow of the boat up a little way upon the land.  Then he ordered the boys to take out the pieces of the stem of the little tree, and he placed one of them under the bow as a roller.  The boys then took hold of the sides of the boat, three on each side, each boy opposite to his own row-lock, while Marco stood ready to put under another roller.  The ascent was very gradual, so that the boat moved up easily, and the boys were very much surprised and delighted to see their boat thus running up upon the land.

It seemed to them an exercise of great power to be able to take so large a boat so easily and rapidly up such an ascent upon the land.  They were aided to do it by two principles.  One was the combination of their strength in one united effort, and the other was the influence of the rollers in preventing the friction of the bottom of the boat upon the ground.

Presently the whole length of the boat was out of water and resting on four rollers, which Marco had put under it, one by one, as it had advanced.  Forester would then call out, “Ahead with her!” when the boys would move about two steps.  Then Forester would give the command, “Hold on,” and they would stop.  By this time one of the rollers would come out behind, and Marco would take it up and carry it round forward, and place it under the bow, and Forester would then say, “Ahead with her!” again, and the boat would immediately advance again up the acclivity.

[Illustration:  THE PORTAGE.]

In a very few minutes the boat was thus rolled up into a sort of a road, where the way was level.  Here it went very easily.  Presently it began to descend, and soon the boys saw that Forester was taking a sort of path which led by a gentle slope down to the water immediately below the mill.  They were very much pleased at this, for, as they had had a great many excursions already on the mill-pond, they had become familiar with it in all its parts, and they were much animated at the idea of exploring new regions.  In going down to the water on the lower side of the mill, they had, of course, no exertion to make to draw the boat, as its own weight was more than sufficient to carry it down upon the rollers.  They only had to hold it back to prevent its running down too fast, and to keep it properly guided.

“It goes down pretty easy,” said Marco; “but I don’t see how you are ever going to get it back again.”

It was, in fact, a long and rather steep descent.  The boys thought that it would require far more strength than they could exercise, to bring the boat up such an inclination.  Forester told them not to fear.  He said that a good commander never put too much upon his men, or voluntarily got them into any difficulty without planning beforehand a way to get out.