The whole fleet set off and sailed far away to other parts of the world . The ships of the line steered a straight course to Asia , the frigates sailed to Africa , the brigs to America , and the schooners to Polynesia . But Little Lasse remained in Europe , and threw small stones out into the great sea . Now , there was on the shore of Europe a real boat , father 's own , a beautiful white-painted boat , and Little Lasse got into it . Father and mother had forbidden this , but Little Lasse forgot . He thought he should very much like to travel to some other part of the world . ' I shall row out a little way -- only a very little way , ' he thought . The pea-shell boats had travelled so far that they only looked like little specks on the ocean . ' I shall seize Hercules on the coast of Asia , ' said Lasse , ` and then row home again to Europe . ' He shook the rope that held the boat , and , strange to say , the rope became loose . Ditsch , ratsch , a man is a man , and so Little Lasse manned the boat . Now he would row -- and he could row , for he had rowed so often on the step sat home , when the steps pretended to be a boat and father 's big stick an oar . But when Little Lasse wanted to row there were no oars to be found in the boat . The oars were locked up in the boat-house , and Little Lasse had not noticed that the boat was empty . It is not so easy as one thinks to row to Asia without oars . What could Little Lasse do now ? The boat was already some distance out on the sea , and the wind , which blew from land , was driving it still further out . Lasse was frightened and began to cry . But there was no one on the shore to hear him . Only a big crow perched alone in the birch tree ; and the gardener 's black cat sat under the birch tree , waiting to catch the crow .
Neither of them troubled themselves in the least about Little XXXXX , who was drifting out to sea .
Africa Asia Ditsch Europe Father Lasse Polynesia boat-house oar oars