Mark began to measure off the string from a quantity of the largest make, which they had bought for the purpose.
“There’s the block,” he said. “How are you going to manage about the pulley to haul up the mainsail?”
“The block’s a bore,” mused Bevis, rolling his cherry-stone about. “I don’t think we could make one—”
“Buy one.”
“Pooh! There’s nothing in Latten; why you can’t buy anything.” Mark was silent, he knew it was true. “If we make a slit in the mast and put a little wheel in off a window-blind or something—”
“That would do first-rate.”
“No it wouldn’t; it would weaken the mast, stupe, and the first cyclone would snap it.”
“So it would. Then we should drift ashore and get eaten.”
“Most likely.”
“Well, bore a hole and put the cord through that; that would not weaken it much.”