, and turn
her up, and sit under her."

"And no wraps! Look here, I shall be warm enough skating back. I'll
lend you my coat."

"Nay, nay, lad," said Dave, with his eyes twinkling, and his face
looking less grim. "Keep on thy coat, lad, I wean't hev it. Thankye,
though, all the same, and thou shalt hev a good bit o' sport for that,
Mester Dick. But, theer, you two had best go back."

"But we don't like leaving you," said Tom.

"Thankye, lads, thankye. Bud nivver yow mind about me. Look at the
times I've wetched all night in my poont for the wild-geese, and wi'out
a fire, eh? Yow both get back home. Wouldn't bear me to walk wi' ye to
sleep in one of the barns at the Toft, would it?"

"I don't think it would, Dave."

"Nay, it wouldn't, lad; and I don't want to get wet, so off with you."

The boys hesitated; but Dave was determined.

"Here, give me a hand wi' my poont," he said; and going to where it was
moored, he took hold of the boat, drew it close in, and then, he on one
side, the two lads on the other, they ran it right up ashore, and close
to the glowing peat-stack, where, with a good deal of laughter at their
clumsiness in skates ashore, the punt was turned over, and Dave propped
one side up with a couple of short pieces of wood.

"Theer," he said. "Looks like setting a trap to ketch a big bird. I'm
the big bird, and I shall be warm enew faacing the fire. When it goes
out I can tak' away the sticks and let the poont down and go to sleep.
Come and see me again, lads, and bring me a moothful o' something.
Mebbe the ice'll bear to-morrow."

"We'll come, Dave, never fear," said Dick, taking out his knife as he
reached the ice, and cleaning the mud off his skates, for the ground was
soft near the fire, though hard as iron everywhere else.

"I don't fear, lads," said Dave smiling, and letting off his
watchman-rattle laugh. "It's a bad job, but not so bad as Farmer
Tallington's stables burning, or squire's beasts heving theer legs
cooten. I'll soon get oop another house when I've been and seen
neighbour Hickathrift for some wood. Now, then, off you go, and see
who's best man over the ice."

"One moment, Dave," cried Dick, checking himself in the act of starting.
"It was easy enough to come here with the fire to guide us, but we must
know which way to go back."

"Ay, to be sure, lad," cried Dave eagerly. "You mak' straight for yon
star and yow'll be right. That star's reight over the Toft.