They set to work--but although their rakes
were of the largest size, and their arms long and strong, the canal was
too wide to enable them to reach the moon. They were, however, agreed
that they must get it out some way or other, for it would be a pity if
it got drowned. At last they decided that they would both get into the
canal, and fetch the moon out themselves. They pulled off their coats,
therefore, and, laying them on the path, got into the water, only to
find it much deeper than they had expected; their feet sank into the mud
at the bottom, and the water came nearly up to their necks at once, and
as it was deeper towards the middle, they found it impossible to carry
out their task. But the worst feature was that neither of the men could
swim, and, being too deeply immersed in the water to reach high enough
on the canal bank to pull themselves out again, they were in great
danger of drowning. Fortunately, however, a boat was coming along the
canal, and when the man who was driving the horses attached to the boat
heard their cries, he ran forward, and, stopping where he found the
coats on the towing-path, was horrified to see the two men holding on to
the stones that lined the canal.
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