Left on the Labrador: A Tale of Adventure Down North

unknown wilderness lay beyond that dark forest boundary. Charley's imagination pictured it as another world, apart and different from anything he had ever seen. Reared in a

when Mr. Wise returned without him? What would his mother say and feel when his father reached home alone? How grief-stricken they would be! Tears came into

warm back there

oice betrayed his thoughts, p

at the ship left

a great time, but I was thinking of Dad

to pieces, they'll be so glad! Think o' that now. Think o' the bad fix you gets out of, and thank the Lard you gets left at Pinch-In Tickle where you was as welcome as a son, instead of at some harb

sked, the gloom suddenly dispersed by Skip

per Zeb heartily. "Take Toby's oars. Let Ch

orm in the palms of soft hands; and when Toby suggested it, he was gla

ubways, the elevated railways, the traffic-clogged streets, the high buildings, the noise. Here were no chimneys vomiting smoke and soot. Here were no dirty streets to poison the air with noxious fumes and germ

. "Here's Swile Island before we knows it! We'll stop fo

bout that of a city block. Its center rose to a small hill, covered by a stu

luncheon. While Toby carried up from the boat the food and cooking utensils, Skipper Zeb lighted a fir

meal been served him in his city home. But here he ate the pork, with his bread sopped into the grease, and tea sweetened with molasses, hungrily and with a r

e," he said as he passed his plate for a second

unger's a rare sauce for vi

Swile Island Skipper Zeb hoisted a leg-o'-mutton sail, and then sat and smoked his pipe

Zeb pointed out a little log hut near t

there's Black River tilt

and while Skipper Zeb unloaded the cargo the boys carried it to the tilt,

posite the door was a bunk, and, along the right side of the room as they entered, another bunk extended from that at the far end to the wall behind the door. On the left side of the room, and midway between the end bunk and the door was a sheet-iron tent stove

snug and fine when we gets our beds made and the stove set up and a fire in she. Whilst y

t the farther end they spread Skipper Zeb's sleeping bag, and side by side, upon the other bunk, their own. Al

over the kettle, Charley lad, and we'll

nd was about to return, his eye fell upon a peculiar looking animal perched upon a branch high up in a

ing his rifle and following Charley. "I'l

nimal tumbling down. Toby picked it up

ght!" boomed Skipper Zeb. "Whilst y

and after washing the meat in the river and cutting it into conven

t, were put into repair by Skipper Zeb and made ready for the journey on the

e odour of the spruce and balsam beds, but to the boys a still more delicious and appealing odour was given out by the kettle of st

id, "only it's a heap better than any s

r Zeb. "We likes porcupine wonderfu

s, and all was made ready for the trail. Snow was not deep enough to require

s breaking. "I'll be goin' ahead with the heavy flatsled, and you lads

eagerly, "I'll haul

f martens or minks indicated their presence. At intervals he took bunches of a dozen or more traps from trees where he had hung them the pre

aps where you left them? The

y hackmatack tree handy about. I just looks up and sees th

ilar surroundings. Presently he was to learn that the woodsman by long practice learns to know every tree or bush that is even slightly out of the ordinary along his trail, and so trained is he in the art of observation th

kettle," and have a "snack" to eat. Already the boys were ravenously hungry, a

kes for hunger," sai

ollow!" confe

ier'n a starved

and presently came upon a wide frozen ma

finds the best fox footin'

than in setting those for marten and mink. With his sheathknife he cut out a square of snow, and excavated in the snow a place large enough to accommodate the trap. Over the trap a thin crust of snow was placed, and so carefully fitted that its location was hardly dis

," he explained, "and I'm thinki

cotton tent, small but amply large enough for the three, was quickly pitched and a tent stove set up. Then while Toby and Charley gathered boughs and laid the bed, Skipper Zeb cut

t hauling the flatsled had made it the harder. He lay back upon his sleeping bag chatting with Toby and watching Skipper Zeb prepare supper. How cozy and luxurious the tent was! The pleas

tle short of torture to keep them open, and he slipped into his slee

e the heavy breathing of Skipper Zeb and Toby, and he was about to lie down again when there came the sound of footsteps in the slightly crusted snow outside. Some animal was prowlin

ng, heartrending howl, rising and falling in mournful cadence, and echoing through the forest behind them. The