“No, but it’s so easy! I might as well pass the test now as later,” bragged Paul, swimming out to the boat.
Fred had paddled in and now carried the bag out to the same place and dropped it in but Paul, try as he would, could not find it.
“I know what’s the trouble—Paul doesn’t keep his eyes open. He closes them tight the moment he strikes the water,” cried Elizabeth to Fred.
So Fred called to Paul, “How do you expect to find an object under water if your eyes are shut?”
“I’m afraid to open them, it feels awful,” said Paul.
“Well, the sooner you learn to do that the better. No swimmer can become expert if he dives or swims under water with closed eyes,” remarked Fred, starting to paddle back to land.
“Oh Fred, while we are here let us try for a test for swimming the breast, overhand, and crawl, in to shore,” cried Paul, and this was done very well although Dudley did it better, having had much more practice at home.
Meantime, Billy had dressed in a complete suit of old clothes—with shoes, cap and coat—as he proposed to try the test of swimming with all clothes on.
Wita-tonkan took the measuring tape and fastened it on one end of the rock that jutted out over the Cove, then Elizabeth paddled the canoe out to the required distance and waited. Edith, Paul and Billy followed in the boat and stopped alongside the line of limit.
Every one was watching eagerly as Billy dove off the end of the boat and swam for shore. Then, as he reached the rocky island and clambered out, a chorus of “Hows” congratulated him.