We manned her, though not up to our full strength, because if more than four got on the water came up too near our knees, and we feared she might founder if over-manned.
Daisy and Denny did not want to go on the raft, white mice that they were, so that was all right.

And as H.O.had been wet through once he was not very keen.

Alice promised Noel her best paint-brush if he'd give up and not go, because we knew well that the voyage was fraught with deep dangers, though the exact danger that lay in wait for us under the dairy window we never even thought of.
So we four elder ones got on the raft very carefully; and even then, every time we moved the water swished up over the raft and hid our feet.
But I must say it was a jolly decent raft.
Dicky was captain, because it was his adventure.

We had hop-poles from the hop-garden beyond the orchard to punt with.

We made the girls stand together in the middle and hold on to each other to keep steady.