Left on the Labrador: A Tale of Adventure Down North

Duck's Head. Here it stuck for what seemed to Charley a long time, reeling in the surf until he was quite certain it would roll over and they would all be drowned. Mrs. Twig, clinging with

still floated to the astonishment of all, and Skipper Zeb and Toby, with feverish zeal shipping a

rollers, and a few minutes later, submerged to her gunwale, grounded upon a narrow strip of gravelly beach on the western sid

s, whittled shavings with his jack-knife from the dry hearts of the split sticks, lighted these with a match from a supply which he car

we are safe and sound and none of us lost, as I were fearin' when we strikes the rock

," answered Violet, who was

nd quite as though it were an ordinary occurrence, and they had not, a few minutes bef

s so wet and cold in my life, and I'm sure I'd have frozen stiff if you hadn't made a fire

corked tight in a bottle handy in my pocket, and I never uses un unless my other matches gets wet. There's tim

rries un too

land must always be ready to put

ber that,"

ow here's a fix! 'Tis a wonderful bad fix! Dad can't be gettin' us out of this fix, whatever! I'll be just watchin' now, and see! Dad can't get us out of this un! And then you gets the oar and pulls us up into the wind, and we h

r best, He steps in and helps. He says, 'These folk does the best they can to get out of this fix, and I'll just s

ed Mrs. Twig. "Can't you f

s knocked out of she," answered Skipper Zeb. "If 'tis, 'twill be th

ig. "You were wantin' she so bad, and we were savin' and skimpin' for five years, and wh

to-day is to-day and to-morrow is to-morrow, and if she's wrecked she's wrecked, and that's the end of she. We won't worry and fuss abo

e fire, and then, pausing to rub his ha

rful good to us to be bringin' us all ashore. Now we'll get snug. Toby, lad, we'll try to get the things out of the boat,

. It was snowing hard, and the water was icy cold, and Skipper Zeb

directed, "and keep the fire

much, but I can do something. You've been so kind to me and took me in when I had n

sed to un," Skipper Zeb explained, "you'd be findin' the water a bit coolish. We're used to un. We're wet

Zeb agreed that he might carry the things back from the shore,

'll be keepin' you warm and free from chill," said Skipper Zeb, "

who worked with a will until everything was salvaged. A tent was then quickly set up in the lee of the cliff, a te

center was dry, and in a jiffy Mrs. Twig was mixing dough bread, a kettle was over for tea, and Skippe

led their plates with meat and hot bread and passed each of them a cup of steaming hot tea, "here we

a mouthful of the hot bread, "and

for vittles," remarked Skipper Z

wet clothing was steamin

September month, and get un safe up to Double Up Cove whilst fair weather held. If we'd had un to-day all the flour and te

September month, just when we needs un most. Now we don't need un this year again. The things we loses we'll make out witho

at," insisted Mrs. Twig. "I'm 'tis

was a tenderness in Skipper Twig's voice th

ge in an attempt to dry them also. With one of the sails a lean-to shelter was made by the open fire outside, and while Skipper Ze

m here without a bo

in an hour, whatever. Toby and I goes in the marnin', if the sea calms down in the night, and I'll be comin' with another boat. I'

ed. The campfire outside was so cheerful Mrs. Twig and Violet came out of the tent to cook their suppe

ed his pipe, and told stories of his life at sea as a fisherman and on the winter trail as a trapper and hunt

t one feels who meets and conquers obstacles. True, he had done little himself to aid in the escape, but he had done something. He had taken part in the tra

The fellows would surely envy him! When he was wet to the skin and chilled to numbness, he had longed again and again for the warmth of the mail boat, even with its u

woodfire, the incense of the wilderness. Outside he could hear the seas breaking upon the cliff off the Duck's Head and over the