ith the butts outwards. He thus produced a
spliced stick about twelve feet long. About two feet from either end he
notched the young tree until he could bend the extremities upwards; and
having so bent them, he secured the bent portions in their places by
means of lashings of raw hide. The spliced trees now presented a rude
outline of the section of a boat, having the stem, keel, and stern all
in one piece. This having been placed lengthwise between the stakes,
four other poles, notched in two places, were lashed from stake to
stake, running crosswise to the keel, and forming the knees. Four
saplings were now bent from end to end of the upturned portions of the
keel that represented stem and stern. Two of these four were placed
above, as gunwales; two below as bottom rails. At each intersection the
sticks were lashed firmly with fishing line. The whole framework being
complete, the stakes were drawn out, and there lay upon the ground the
skeleton of a boat eight feet long by three broad.

Frere, whose hands were blistered and sore, would fain have rested; but
the convict would not hear of it. "Let us finish," he said regardless of
his own fatigue; "the skins will be dry if we stop."

"I can work no more," says Frere sulkily; "I can't stand. You've got
muscles of iron, I suppose. I haven't."

"They made me work when I couldn't stand, Maurice Frere. It is wonderful
what spirit the cat gives a man. There's nothing like work to get rid of
aching muscles--so they used to tell me."

"Well, what's to be done now?"

"Cover the boat. There, you can set the fat to melt, and sew these hides
together. Two and two, do you see? and then sew the pair at the necks.
There is plenty of catgut yonder."

"Don't talk to me as if I was a dog!" says Frere suddenly. "Be civil,
can't you."

But the other, busily trimming and cutting at the projecting pieces
of sapling, made no reply. It is possible that he thought the fatigued
lieutenant beneath his notice. About an hour before sundown the hides
were ready, and Rufus Dawes, having in the meantime interlaced the ribs
of the skeleton with wattles, stretched the skins over it, with the
hairy side inwards. Along the edges of this covering he bored holes at
intervals, and passing through these holes thongs of twisted skin,
he drew the whole to the top rail of the boat. One last precaution
remained. Dipping the pannikin into the melted tallow, he plentifully
anointed the seams of the sewn ski