“I think it would go straighter,” Kitey suggested, “if you should give one stroke at a time on each side, and make the strokes even.”
To which Harry replied, “I say, old fellow, if you know so well how to paddle this vessel, you’d better do it, and I’ll resign. I think, though, if you ’tend to your own knitting, and steer a little, it will go easier.”
“Steer!” Kitey said, in an injured tone; “how can a little fellow like me steer, when you take one weak stroke on one side, and then two great, big strokes on the other, and turn the table half-way around?”
As they were creeping, or rather wobbling, slowly along, most of the time sidewise like a crab, all of a sudden they ran into a strong current of wind, blowing directly towards the land of the Gnomes.
“Hurrah!” shouted Kitey. “The wind is turned on over at our place and will help us across.”
“It will do more than help,” said Harry. “I’m going to make it do all the work.”
So saying, he hastily untied the table-cloth and emptied out the food, and then fastened the cloth across the two front legs of the table and made a very fair substitute for a sail.
“Now,” said he, “we’ll both steer, and perhaps we can keep the old craft headed straight.”
After that they went along finely, and at a fair rate of speed, and eventually drew near the landing-place at Gnome Land.
“What plan have you in view, Prince Harry?” inquired Kitey.