Then he ordered the boys to take out the pieces of the stem of the little tree, and he placed one of them under the bow as a roller.
The boys then took hold of the sides of the boat, three on each side, each boy opposite to his own row-lock, while Marco stood ready to put under another roller.

The ascent was very gradual, so that the boat moved up easily, and the boys were very much surprised and delighted to see their boat thus running up upon the land.
It seemed to them an exercise of great power to be able to take so large a boat so easily and rapidly up such an ascent upon the land.
They were aided to do it by two principles.

One was the combination of their strength in one united effort, and the other was the influence of the rollers in preventing the friction of the bottom of the boat upon the ground.
Presently the whole length of the boat was out of water and resting on four rollers, which Marco had put under it, one by one, as it had advanced.

Forester would then call out, "_Ahead with her!_" when the boys would move about two steps.

Then Forester would give the command, "_Hold on_," and they would stop.