'Back wa'ater, sir,' shouts Dando, 'Back wa'ater, you sir, aft;' upon which everybody thinking he must be the individual referred to, they all back water, and back comes the boat, stern first, to the spot whence it started.

'Back water, you sir, aft; pull round, you sir, for'ad, can't you ?' shouts Dando, in a frenzy of excitement.

'Pull round, Tom, can't you ?' re-echoes one of the party.

'Tom an't for'ad,' replies another.

'Yes, he is,' cries a third; and the unfortunate young man, at the imminent risk of breaking a blood-vessel, pulls and pulls, until the head of the boat fairly lies in the direction of Vauxhall-bridge.