Bobby of the Labrador

death, and men who had died naturally and comfortably in their beds. It was, therefore, not the sight of death th

ould not have defined this impression or put his thoughts into wor

and leave the boat and its ghastly, silent skipper to the mercies of the sea. But the mystery fascinated him. The beseeching gaze that had met his had roused his imagina

were brought about by the evil spirits with which his forefathers had peopled the sea and the desolate land in which he lived. It was his firm belief that evil spirits remained to haunt the place where a victim had been lured to violent death, as in the present instance had p

than the countless superstitions to which many educated and seemingly intelligent Christian people of civilization

ting engrossed in contemplation, he in his skiff and the dead man in the derelict drifted for a while side by side toward I

rease the distance between himself and possible danger. But when the cry was repeated, and presently became a frightened wail, Abel hesitated. If it was a spirit that emitted

at he might look over the gunwale and into the derelict. From this vantage he beheld the head of a little child, and he c

of evil could remain where God exerted His power. Here was a subtle and potent charm in which Abel Zachariah had unwavering faith, for, after all, his faith in God was greate

age. He was fair haired and fair skinned and handsome, but as a result of privat

even the boat. The coveted prize of his ambition an hour before, had small importance to Abel now. His one tho

ig blue tear-wet eyes looked with w

assuring smile, as he stooped and took the

e did understand, with the intuition and instinct of lit

ed with tepid water, a tin cup, and a bag containing a few broken fragments of sea biscuits. He gave the child a sip of the water and selected for it one of the larger fragments of biscuit. Then, patting it affectionately u

, and disregarding the dead man lying aft, he undid the painter of his skiff and secured it astern, where the skiff would tow easily. And so, with the mysterious child under the deck at his back, and the mysterious dead man lying in the boa

est of the prize, was there to meet him, and looking into

s though afraid the thing would injure her. "It is a boat of

ck, lifted out the child, and stepping

"God sent him to u

d and eager face, and smiled its confidence, and from that instant she took it to her heart as her own. She pressed it to her bosom with all the

s at a glance and forgetful of all else, she hurried away with it to the tent. It drank eagerly from the cup of clear cold water whic

eless he understood, for she spoke in the universal accent of the mother to her little one. And when he had eaten he nestled snugly in h

shore, that the big wolf dogs prowling about might not interfere with the peaceful repose of its silent

red from the tent to announce that the boy was sleeping and seemed much better after eating. Then while they s

se killed the man?

or a gun yet. It is a fine boat, and did not belong to a schooner. I never saw a boa

It is not like any I ever saw and is finer and prettier than the mission

h my head where the boa

farthest mists of the sea, from the place where storms are born, and He sent the boat on a clear day, when we could see i

ng us a child for our own. But why did He sen

white and its clothes are so fine, I am sure it must have come from Heaven. We know it came from

t in the least believe that the days of miracles were past, as indeed they are not. They had already, with big, hospitable hearts, accepted the child as their own. Now,

d formed the boy's bed, the water jug, the tin cup, and biscuit bag, a quantity of loaded shotgun shells and a double-barreled shotgun. The shotgun, which had been hidden in the bottom of the boat by the folds of a sai

ece of pencil, and an empty wallet. Nothing which seemed important, but

he grave Abel had made. And over the grave Abel read in Eskimo a chapter from the Testament, and said a prayer, and to the doleful accompaniment of lapping waves upon the s

ncrease their happiness, and they lavished upon him all the love and affection of their simple hospitable natures. They were deeply soli

ll other tongues and especially the Eskimo tongue, he was wholly ignorant. At that period of his life it was quite immaterial to him, indeed, what language he spoke so long as the language serv

tions of his new surroundings and life, fashioned for him a suit of coarse but warmer fabric. When this was finished to her liking

knees, and sewed them with sinew to render them waterproof, that his feet might be kept quite dry when the rocks were wet with rains, or when the first moist snows of autumn fell, as they did wit

cold warned them that winter was at hand and that presently the bays and sea would be frozen. It was

," but which English-speaking folk called "Abel's Bay," because Abel was the first to b

ond sail, and, one blustery morning, with their tent and all their belongings stowed into the boat, and the dogs in the skiff, which was in tow, they set sail for Abel's Bay, and left Itigailit Island a

The Labrador and found a home among strange people. And in such a land it