He 'cut out' every boy in the village.

When his boat blew up at last, it diffused a tranquil contentment among us such as we had not known for months.

But when he came home the next week, alive, renowned, and appeared in church all battered up and bandaged, a shining hero, stared at and wondered over by everybody, it seemed to us that the partiality of Providence for an undeserving reptile had reached a point where it was open to criticism.
This creature's career could produce but one result, and it speedily followed.

Boy after boy managed to get on the river.

The minister's son became an engineer.