"Yes, sir," said Marco; "we got aground. You'll fall off of that log if you don't take care."
"No," said the millman, "there's no danger."
"Why, if the log should roll the least atom, away you'd go," said Marco, "though the water is not very deep."
Here the man began to step upon the log in a peculiar manner, so as to make it roll. It rolled slowly, but the man continued stepping until he had rolled it completely over. The side which had been under water appeared of a dark color, and was very slippery, being covered with a sort of slime; but the man did not slip. After he had thus rolled the log completely over, he looked up to Marco, and said,
"There, you see that there is no danger."
When the man had drawn this log up to the shore, he went for another; and he had to sail upon this second one a long distance, in bringing it to its place. He pushed himself along by running his pole down to the bottom, and pushing against the sand.
"Could I sail upon a log?" asked Marco.
"No," replied the millman; "you'd roll off."
"How did you learn to do it?" asked Marco.
"Oh, I learned when I was a boy," replied the millman.