But the
other two boys laughed at him, and told him not to be a coward; and he
finally determined he would venture, if the others succeeded. They did
succeed, and Charley, not without some trembling--which, of course, made
his danger the greater--prepared to follow. 'Take care, Charley! take care!
Rather dangerous business, isn't it? Cling closely to the tree. There--so.
Don't look down into the water, or you'll be dizzy. That's the way. Come
on, now. Don't hang on to that dry limb! It will break and let you fall
into the water, if you do. How the poor fellow trembles! _Plash_!
There he goes, I declare!'
[Illustration: CHARLES CROSSING THE BROOK.]
"Sure enough, Charles had slipped and fallen into the stream! and his
companions, so frightened that they hardly knew what they did, took to
their heels, and ran as fast as they could toward home!"
"Poor Charley! he was drowned, then?" said Robert.
"No, he managed to get out of the water; but he had a hard time of it,
though. He could not swim very well, at the best; and with all his clothes
on, it was as much as he could do to swim at all.
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