314
PARTISAN REVIEW
edge, keeping one hand in readiness for an accident, entered a row–
boat, and, after much maneuvering, sat me in back on the stern's
bench. Then George left me briefly to gather the fishing equipment
prepared on the landing. He laid the can with the worms in my lap.
He tried to row without the oar-locks, sitting beside me, but he
couldn't do that, so he took the seat in the middle and rowed us out;
I found that the water was shallow on the entire lake. He handled
the oars with that supple grace which is rare in amateurs. Small fish
scattered about us, alarmed. George soon bumped against one of
the tree stumps, and he had trouble disentangling us.
"George," I asked, "couldn't we catch a turtle? You could
catch a turtle. I'll bet you could. You could sneak up on a turtle and
grab it. Over there-there's a turtle over there, on that rock. Couldn't
you get over there quietly and put it
in
the boat before it gets
away? There's a big black one. I'll bet you could do it, George."
"What for? You don't need any turtles."
"Aw, you just don't
think
you could do it," I said.
"You can't get me to do it that way," said George.
He brought us further out, and we passed over a bed of fronds,
slipping through their midst with the sound of a dress rustling on
a floor. I leaned down and bit into the thumb of my left hand,
where the callous had formed, and placed my hand out into the water.
I enjoyed the vigorous feeling made by our wake, pulling my fingers
out and back, as
if
I curried the water.
As
George became accustomed
to the oars, he rowed with faster but easier strokes, and my fingers
dragged severely. I asked George to lift my hand back.
"What did you stick it there for
if
you can't get it out by your–
self?" he said, annoyed.
But he stood up, shaking the boat, ending the illusion that we
slid as if by magic, and he balanced his weight until he could reach
me and draw my hand up again. Returning to
his
seat, George swnng
the boat about and made for the opposite shore, where one of the
rowing parties was. The pitiless glare of the sun settled upon George
to steepen the handsome earthiness of
his
complexion, and emphasized
the lightness of flesh that escaped above the black belt around his
gray bathing-suit. George fixed his soles against the board provided,
and wielded the oars with the serenity of a giant bird. I looked at
the row-boat we were coming upon; within it was a family comprised
of a very tall man, who, at the moment, was 'reeling
in
his fishing
line, watching below the silver glint of
his
lure; a woman of nearly
