his blood warm.

Already the sea was smoking. The freeze-up was close at hand. With each
hour the merciless winter cold increased in strength. That evening when
he entered his cave he closed the entrance with snow, that it might be
kept warm, but nevertheless he spent an uncomfortable night, and he was
glad enough to crawl out in the morning and light his fire.

That was a cheerless day. The sun shone through a gray veil, and offered
little warmth. There was no more wood to gather, and to save his little
stock he ran up and down upon the rocks that he might drive away the
cold with exercise.

The sun was low when he lighted his evening fire, and as he prepared his
sea pigeon for supper he remembered with regret that he had but one bird
remaining.

"And I've been hungry ever since I've been here," he remarked to
himself. "I'm half starved this minute."

He was thinking a great deal now of what he should have to eat when he
reached home, and planning for this and that. And, oh, for some good
hot tea!

And so, thinking, and dreading to go to his cheerless cave, he sat while
his fire burned low and the sun sank from sight and the long and gloomy
twilight gathered.

"I'll spare another stick or two," he said, replenishing the fire. "I
can't go into that hole yet."

The fire blazed up, and the twilight grew thicker, and the fire had
nearly burned out again while Bobby, dreaming of home and Mrs. Abel, and
wondering where Abel Zachariah and Skipper Ed and Jimmy were, fell into
a doze. Then it was that something unlooked for startled him into sudden
wakefulness.

CHAPTER XVIII

THE WINTER OF FAMINE

Faintly over the waters, but quite loud enough for Bobby to hear, came a
hail, and Bobby was on his feet in an instant, shouting with all the
power of his lusty young lungs. Then he ran to his cave and got his gun,
and fired three shots at intervals of a few seconds, and with the last
shot listened tense with eagerness and excitement.

This was a signal that he and Jimmy had agreed upon. It meant, "Come! I
want you," and when at home if Jimmy wished Bobby to come over to
Skipper Ed's cabin, or Bobby wished Jimmy to come to Abel Zachariah's
cabin, it was the way they called one another. And when the signal was
heard, two shots were fired in quick succession to say, "I hear, and I
will come," or two shots with an interval between, to say, "I hear you,
but I can't come." Then it was the duty of the one who had fi