“But,” demanded Stephan, who was greatly interested in his brother’s wonderful narrative, “how is it, that with all that weight resting upon you, and you standing in a boat, the boat didn’t sink? I can’t understand how, with that weight upon it, it remained afloat.”
“Why,” said Alexis with perfect gravity, “I forgot to mention that the stream was very shallow–in fact it could be waded. The boat was forced down by the great weight until it rested on the bottom. In that way, it was perfectly simple.”
“I see,” exclaimed Stephan. “A wonderful feat, truly!”
“Was the bridge made out of rubber?” asked Chester, laughing to himself.
“Rubber?” repeated Alexis. “No; it was a wooden bridge.”
“Then,” said Chester, “how do you account for the fact that it stretched so when the boat went to the bottom of the stream?”
“I didn’t say it stretched,” said Alexis.
“I know you didn’t say so,” grinned Chester; “but it must have stretched unless it broke in two.”
Alexis looked aggrieved.
“If you don’t believe me—” he began.