And, reflecting, he foresaw that the raft being so heavy would be otherwise difficult to move.
The spot where they had built her was a little below where Bevis leaped on shore on the evening of the battle. The ground sloped to the water, which was rather deep. By noon the raft was ready—for they had decided to complete the rigging, bulwarks, and fittings when she was afloat—and with levers they began to heave her down.
She moved slowly, rumbling and crushing the rollers into the sward. By degrees with a “Yeo! Heave-ho!” at which Pan set up a barking, the raft approached the water, and the forward part entered it. The weight of the rest prevented the front from floating, forcing it straight under the surface till the water rose a third of the way along the deck.
“Yeo! Heave-ho!”
Yow-wow-wow! Pan, who had been idle all the morning lying on the ground, jumped round and joined the chorus.
“Now! Heave-ho! She’s going! Now!”
“Stop!”
“Why?”
“She’ll slip away—right out!”
“So she will.”