Their boat was down the canal a hundred yards or so at the end of the tow-line; and just before the boat itself drew even with ours she was laid over by her steersman to the opposite side of the ditch, her horses were checked so as to let her line so slacken as to drop down under our boat, her horses were whipped up by a sneering boy on a tall bay steed, her team went outside ours on the tow-path, and the passage was made.

They made, as was always the case, a moving loop of their line, one end hauled by the packet, and the other by the team.

I was keeping my eye skinned to see how the thing was done, when the tow-line of the packet came by, tripped me up and threw me into the canal, from which I was fished out by Bill as our boat came along.

There was actual danger in this unless the steersman happened to be really steering, and laid the boat off so as to miss me.
Captain Sproule gazed at me in disgust.

Ace laughed loudly away out ahead on the horse.