“Want any help?” asked his father.

“No, thank you, Dad.  I want to manage it all by myself as long as I can.”

“Isn’t it my turn to steer?” asked Freddie, when they were half-way down the lake, toward the end farthest from the town, where there were deep woods on either side.

“No, not yet!” exclaimed Bert “Don’t touch anything, Freddie!” he went on, for his little brother was reaching out toward the sail.  “I’ll have to wait until the wind doesn’t blow so strong before I can let your steer, Freddie.”

“But I want to steer when we’re going fast!” cried the little fellow.  “I know how to do it.  You just——­”

Freddie never finished what he was saying.  Whether he touched anything, or whether Bert was afraid he would, and so pulled on the wrong rope to keep it out of Freddie’s way, was never known.

Suddenly the ice-boat gave a quick whirl to one side, like a boy or a girl on roller skates going around a corner.  It went around so quickly that it tipped half-way over.  Mrs. Bobbsey and Nan screamed.  Mr. Bobbsey called to Bert to be careful, but it was too late.  Bert had lost his hold of the rudder and the sail rope.

The next second Bert shot out of the ice-boat, and slid along on his back.  A moment later his father and mother were also spilled out, followed by Nan.  Then the ice-boat, not having such a heavy load aboard, settled down on the ice again, and started to run away, or, rather, blow away.

Right before the wind it flew, and Flossie and Freddie, being well tucked in among the robes and blankets were not spilled out.  They stayed on board; and Mr. Bobbsey, sitting up after he had slid some distance across the ice, saw the Bird scooting down the lake, carrying his two smaller twins with it.

“Oh, the ice-boat is running away with Flossie and Freddie!” cried Nan, as she, too, saw what had happened.

CHAPTER IV

THE OLD WOODCHOPPER

While Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey, Bert and Nan picked themselves up from where they had fallen and slid along the ice, the ice-boat, with Flossie and Freddie snugly tucked in among the blankets and robes, was skimming down the lake, blown by a strong wind.

At first the two small twins hardly knew what had happened.  They had felt the ice-boat tilt to one side, they remembered that they had nearly fallen out, and then they had sailed on again.  It was not until Flossie opened her eyes (she always shut them when anything surprising was happening) that she saw she and Freddie were alone in the Bird.

“Why!  Why!” she exclaimed.  “Where are Daddy and Mother?”

“Yes, and Bert and Nan?” added Freddie.  “Where is everybody?”

Then the two small twins looked back over the icy lake and far behind them saw their father and mother, with Bert and Nan, standing on the ice and waving their hands.