e aperture, "if it is as bad as that
now that it is only just lighted, the meat ought to be smoked as dry as
a chip by to-morrow."

Godfrey had nothing to do now but to watch the smoke rising from the
opening at the top of the tent, opening the entrance a little whenever
it slackened, drawing the sticks together with the iron ramrod, and
throwing on a fresh armful of the fuel. Having finished greasing the
boat, Luka did the same to the canoe. They spent the next twenty-four
hours in alternately sleeping, collecting drift-wood on the river-bank,
and attending to the fire, which had to be watched carefully, and some
dry splinters added from time to time to get the green wood to keep
alight. Every hour or two a piece of meat was taken out and examined,
and in thirty hours from the time of lighting the fire Luka pronounced
that it was done. The strips had shrivelled to half their former
thickness and were almost black in colour.

"They will give us plenty of work for our teeth, Luka," Godfrey said.
"They look almost like shoe-leather, but perhaps they will be better
than they look. I once tasted some smoked reindeer tongues--at least
they called them reindeer tongues, but I do not suppose they were--and
they were first-rate. Now there is nothing more to do; let us get ready
for another start."

The sail was taken off and the poles chopped into five-feet lengths.

"We will lay them in the bottom of the boat, Luka, four longways and
four crossways. As there are sixteen of them, that will make the top
line five or six inches above the floor. Then we will lay our firewood
on them. In that way it won't get wet with the water, and, what is quite
as important, it won't dirty the water."

This was done. The flour and deer's flesh were stowed on similar
platforms fore and aft of the firewood and covered with skins. Some
twelve buckets of water were then baled in. What remained of the frozen
provisions was inspected; but it was agreed that as it had already
melted a good deal, it would not be eatable much longer, and as they had
food enough to last for some time, it was of no use keeping it. It was
therefore broken up, Jack was allowed to eat as much as he wanted, and
the rest was left. When everything was packed the canoe was carried down
and placed in the water, and they took their places; Jack jumped on
board, and a fresh start was made.

As soon as they emerged from the small river, they struck out straight
from the land.