"Slim would eat his words any day if he could roll them in a piece of
fudge," he called. Slim only smiled sweetly as he watched the
experimental spoonful being dropped into the cup of water. Nothing could
ruffle him now.

The Captain walked briskly down the hill and untied the small launch.

"Where are you going?" called Hinpoha from the log where she was sitting
all by herself reading.

"Over to St. Pierre, to mail a Special Delivery letter for Uncle Teddy,"
replied the Captain.

"Do you need any help getting it over?" asked Hinpoha.

"Why, yes," said the Captain, laughing, "come along if you want to."
Hinpoha tripped gaily over the beach and seated herself in the launch
with him.

"Hadn't you better wear your sweater?" asked the Captain, looking rather
doubtfully at Hinpoha's low-necked and short-sleeved middy. "There's a
raw wind today and cutting against it will make it worse."

Hinpoha shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not a bit cold," she replied
carelessly. "I always go like this; even in lots colder weather. I'm so
hardened down to it that I never catch cold. Besides, we're not going to
be out after dark, are we? You're just going straight over to St. Pierre
and back?"

"That's all," said the Captain. "Just to mail this letter and buy some
alcohol for Uncle Teddy and some peanuts for the chippies. Hadn't ought
to take more than an hour and a half altogether." He started the engine
and off they chugged. They reached St. Pierre in good time, mailed the
letter, bought the alcohol and the peanuts and a postcard with a picture
of a donkey on it to give to Katherine and some lollypops for Slim and
started back.

"What's happened to the sun?" asked Hinpoha. It had been feeble and
watery on the way over, but now it had vanished from the sky, and a fine
mist seemed to be falling all over. Hinpoha shivered involuntarily as
they started off.

"You really should have brought your sweater along," said the Captain.
"Here, spread this tarpaulin over you, it'll keep you warm a little."

Hinpoha declared she wasn't very cold, but, nevertheless, she availed
herself of the protection the tarpaulin afforded and was glad to have
it. The mist thickened until it looked like steam, and almost before
they knew it they were surrounded on all sides by a dense fog. They
could not see a boat length ahead of them.

"Nice pickle," said the Captain, buttoning his collar around his throat.
"How are we ever going to find our way back t