s wrong to do a
thing, it is wrong for us to do it. Conscience is the voice of God. If
we disobey our conscience God will soon cease to speak to us through
it. That is the way every criminal in the world began his downward
career. He disobeyed his conscience, and continued to disobey it until
he no longer heard it.

Skipper Tom never disobeyed his conscience. Now the temptation was
strong. His whole life's savings were threatened to be swept away.
There was still time to save the trap.

But Skipper Tom was strong. He turned his back upon the cod trap and
the iceberg and temptation, and as he and Doctor Grenfell climbed the
hill to the chapel he greeted his neighbors calmly and cheerily.

Every eye in Red Bay was on Skipper Tom that day. Every person knew of
the cod trap and its danger, and all that it meant to Skipper Tom, and
the temptation Skipper Tom was facing; but from all outward appearance
he had dismissed the cod trap and the iceberg from his mind.

When dusk fell that night the iceberg was almost upon the cod trap.

FOOTNOTES:

[C] Pronounced kentel in Labrador; 112 pounds.

XIV

THE SAVING OF RED BAY

At an early hour on Sunday evening Skipper Tom went to his bed as
usual, and it is quite probable that within a period of ten minutes
after his head rested upon his pillow he was sleeping peacefully.
There was nothing else to do. He had no doubt that his cod trap was
lying under the iceberg a hopeless wreck.

Well, what of it? In any case he had acted as his conscience had him
act. He knew that there were those who would say that his conscience
was over-sensitive. Perhaps it was, but it was _his_ conscience, not
theirs. He was class leader in the chapel. He never forgot that. And
he was the leading citizen of the settlement. At whatever cost, he
must needs prove a good example to his neighbors in his deeds. Worry
would not help the case in the least. Too much of it would
incapacitate him. He had lived forty-four years without a cod trap,
and he had not starved, and he could finish his days without one.

"The Lard'll take care of us," Skipper Tom often said when they were
in a tight pinch, but he always added, "if we does our best to make
the best of things and look after ourselves and the things the Lard
gives us to do with. He calls on us to do that."

Though Skipper Tom could scarce see how his trap might have escaped
destruction he had no intention of resting upon that supposition and
p