Ace and Paddy to frighten me, I suppose, talked about the dangers and difficulties of the driver's life; while the captain gave all of us stern looks over his meal and looked fiercely at me as if to deny that he had ever been kind.
When the meal was over he ordered Ace to the tow-path, and told him to take me along and show me how to drive.
"Here," he snapped at me, "is where we make a spoon or spoil a horn.

Go 'long with you!" Ace climbed on the back of one of the horses.

I looked up wondering what I was to do.
"You'll walk," said Ace; "an' keep your eyes skinned." So we started off.

Each horse leaned into the collar, and slowly the hundred tons or so of dead weight started through the water.

The team knew that it was of no use to surge against the load to get it started, as horses do with a wagon; but they pulled steadily and slowly, gradually getting the boat under way, and soon it was moving along with the team at a brisk walk, and with less labor than a hundredth part of the weight would have called for on land.