Laddie found that he could stand up on his raft and push himself along. The raft floated with him on it, as though it were a boat. Of course the water came up over the top, but as Laddie went barefooted this did not matter.

   One day he went down to the lake with a piece of clothesline. On the way he whistled to Zip, the playful dog.

   "What are you going to do with him?" asked Russ.

   "I'm going to see if he'll give me a ride," answered Laddie.

   "A ride? How? There isn't any express wagon here."

   "I don't need an express wagon," said Laddie. "I'm going to make Zip be a whale, or maybe a shark, and pull me on my raft-boat."

   "How can you?" asked Russ.

   "I'll show you," Laddie answered.

   He tied one end of the piece of clothesline to his raft, and on the other end of the line he made fast a round stick.

   "Here, Zip! Zip!" cried Laddie, "Go after the stick!"

   He threw the stick, still tied to the rope, into the water of the lake, as far as he could from shore.

   "You run down the shore a little farther and whistle to Zip," said Laddie to Russ. "You can whistle better than I can. When Zip swims to you with the stick in his mouth he'll pull me on the raft."

   "Oh, I wonder if he will!" exclaimed Russ.

   Zip, the big dog, was already swimming out to get the floating stick, and Laddie took his place on the raft, which he had pushed out from shore.

   "I'll have a fine ride!" said the little boy.

   "Here, Zip! Ho, Zip! Come here!" called Russ, and he whistled to the dog, which was swimming along with the stick in his mouth.

   The dog heard, and, turning toward the shore of the lake, made his way to Russ, who was standing on the little sandy beach. And, as Zip swam along, and pulled on the clothesline, which was fast to the stick in his mouth, and also fast to the raft on which stood Laddie Bunker, the little boy was given a ride.

   Zip was a strong dog, and as the raft was light, and as Laddie was 

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