“One day he and his chum were fishing but the boat was heavy and lumbering, and had to be pushed about by means of a long pole. It was slow work and as Bob was trying to reach a spot in the stream where the fish might bite better, he grumbled at the arduous task of moving the tub.
“‘Why don’t we use a row-boat the next time?’ asked his friend.
“‘Even rowing is hard work, and there ought to be an easy way for boys to push their boats about,’ said Robert.
“So the next day Bob called his friend and together they went to the wood-shed to make something Robert had thought out the night before as he lay in bed.
“‘What is it, anyway?’ asked his chum.
“‘You’ll see—it’s something to move our boat about without much work.’
“After a great deal of sawing and hammering, the two boys came from the wood-shed with two cumbersome looking things that looked like small fans on an old wind-mill.
“‘What’s that you’ve got, Bob?’ called a boy in passing the lads.
“‘Oh, we’ve got a scheme to make a boat go without working!’ replied Bob.
“The older boy laughed and passed on his way, but the two friends hurried to their scow with the heavy paddle-wheels and managed to fasten them, one on each side of the boat. An old rod reached across the boat from one wheel to the other, and when all was ready, the boys jumped in.