"Lock at the board bend, would you, fellows!" cried Ty Collins, as the German recruit stood there, balancing at the end, as though fearful of what the result would be should he jump.
"He's glued to it, that's what," said Landy, who was anxious to discover whether Adam would make a greater splash than he himself produced when he came down like a huge frog into the water of the Sweetwater River; for this was not the familiar "swimming-hole" of the Hickory Ridge boys, but miles farther away from home.
Adam made several violent gestures as though he might be going to jump, and then shook his head vigorously in the negative.
"Noddings doing, poys!" he grinned.
"Hey, none of that crawfishing, now, Adam!" cried Ty. "You've just got to jump, once anyhow. We'll stand by and yank you out if you can't swim. Perhaps the boys over in your beloved Yarmany don't learn as early as Yankees do. Go on, now!"
"Want us to come up there and push you off, you Dutch cheese!" called Landy, in the hope of arousing the belligerent nature of the Teuton, and thus making him conquer his timidity.
"Vell, py shiminy crickets, off you dink you can scare Adam Litzburgh, poys, you haf anudder guess goming. Look oudt pelow!"
Elmer had been watching the antics of Adam with a critical eye. Before these last words were spoken he had turned to Ted, who chanced to be swimming near him, and remarked significantly:
"That fellow is pulling the wool over the eyes of Ty and Landy."
"Think tho?" asked Ted, quickly.