Troop One of the Labrador

land. Boats passed only at rare intervals, and a fortnight, or even a month, might elapse before an opportu

Andy suggested presently, "wer

lican. They been up as far as Lem's and they

rs," said Jamie. "Strange bo

Labrador made them t

Andy, "except the boots the lumber folks w

ver with Pop last month when the big steamer comes

t!" said Andy. "'Twere men from

ee where they were ca

the rocks above the shore. The trail led them three hundred yards to the eastward, and then down

exclaimed Jamie,

avid. "They left un

ho had reached the skiff. "The b

appeared in the bottom, rendering it in that condition quite useless. Near by a tent had been pitched, and there

he boat over and

ace to mend,"

"We can mend un by noon whatever, a

ke a day to mend un whatever, and she'll be none

nd un," An

had reached the island before the rain of two days before. This was disclosed by the fact that some of the tra

winter. The sealskin boots had moccasin feet with one thickness of skin, and were soft and pliable. None of them ever wore soled boot

to the southward from The Jug, and on the opposite side of Eskimo Bay. A steamship had brought in men and suppl

gers at work. Thomas had made such an excursion with David and Andy. Strange, rough, blasphemous men they seemed to the God-fearing folk of the country. These were the men wearing hobnai

er some search, however, they discovered a white spruce tree suitable for their purpose, with a trunk ten inches in diameter. David felled it and cut from its butt a two-foot length. This he proceeded to split into as

en we gets un done?" asked

d David. "I'm not knowin' y

"I been thinkin' and thinkin' an

t now without nails?" D

he right place to tie un fast to the braces of the boat. We'll have to make holes in the bottom of the boat each side of the braces f

ie un with?" suggested David. "'Twould be easier than makin' spruce root st

'll stretch," Andy objected. "Then the boa

kin' things out, Andy!" said David admiringly. "The spruce roots won't stretch thoug

with pride, "but once we gets un on they'll h

ng-like roots. He scraped them and then split them carefully with his knife. When they were split he fi

ds, and when dinner time came David announced tha

s he sliced pork for dinner, "is to m

ie interrupted as a hoars

icing pork, and with Jamie and Andy at his heels ran to the top of the h

camps. The boys waved their caps and shouted at the top of their lungs, but no one on the steamer appeared to see them. It wa

us," said David i

r," Andy cheered. "We're goin' to Fort Pelican whe

d between two braces. The edges of the boards where they were to join were whittled straight, that the joint might be made as tight as

m of the boat, and in an hour they were neatly reamed out. When Andy removed his thon

them round the brace several times at each place where provision had been made for the

, and in half an hour they had collected enough to half fill the frying-pan. To this wa

e grease in for?" as

s and she hardens she won't be br

e new boards came into contact with the boat, and into the holes where the lashings occurred

" said David, "and

where she's mende

true. Not a drop of water oozed through the joints, and the boat

ut we'll be away at crack o' dawn in the marnin',

s. They rounded the Devil's Arm, a friendly tide helped them through the narrows, and in mid-forenoon the low white buildings of Fort Pelican appeared in misty outli

ed that they had not noticed it until after the departure of the lumber steamer. They had recognized it as Thoma

d arrived the previous morning, and both the mail boat and lumber ship had steamed away shortly after the mail boat's arrival. Many lumbermen had been ashore. If any of them ha

were took Lem's silver fox and our boat

oubtin' that,