heir point of view they could see that the main body of ice on the
river was still unbroken, and that it was merely a huge tongue, or
needle, which had been thrust up at that point by the form of the land
above referred to. The shattered masses were soon forced against the
side of the hut. There was a slight pause and a creaking of timbers;
then the ice slipped upwards and rose above the roof. More ice came
down from above--slowly grinding. Again there was a pause. The
creaking timbers began to groan, the hut leaned gently over. One of the
door-posts snapped, the other sloped inwards, the roof collapsed, the
sides went in, the ice passed over all, and the hut of Peegwish was
finally obliterated from off the face of the earth. So, a giant with
his foot might slowly and effectually crush the mansion of a snail!

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

THE FLOOD BEGINS TO DO ITS WORK.

"It is very sad that the hut of poor Peegwish has been carried away,"
observed Miss Martha Macdonald, while presiding at the breakfast-table.

"Yes, it iss fery sad," responded Angus Macdonald, in a somewhat
unamiable tone; "but it iss more sad that he will pe living in our
kitchen now, for that wuman Wildcat must pe there too, and it iss not
coot for Wildcat to live in the kitchen. She will pe too fond of the
kitchen altogether, an' she will pe a greater thief than our own cawtie,
for she is more omniferous an' not so easy to scare."

"But cook is as good as a weasel at watching cats," returned Martha,
with a smile; "and it is reason we have to be thankful we have no
heavier trouble, Angus, for many of the people up the river are driven
out of their houses."

"What you say iss true, Martha. Just pefore breakfast I met that
Cherman crater, Winklemann, ridin' to the mission-house for help. The
ice would pe scrapin' the end of his gardin, he was tellin' me, an' if
the ruver would pe risin' another fut it would come into the house. He
says the people are goin' off to the mountain like flocks of sheep,
carryin' their coots and trivin' their cattle pefore them. It is fery
pad times, whatever."

In the parlour of Willow Creek House the breakfast party enlarged on the
same theme.

"Things look serious," observed Samuel Ravenshaw, as he commenced his
third egg. "If the water rises at this rate much longer, not only the
houses that stand low on the river banks, but the whole settlement will
be in danger. It is said that four houses and a barn w