ir abode at that time on the hunter's islet
was the large dog Blackboy. That faithful creature, having always had a
liking for Hendrick, and finding that the old master and mistress never
came back, had attached itself to the party of palefaces, and quietly
accepted the English name of Blackboy.

Now, it is impossible, with the space at our command, to recount all the
sayings and doings of this section of the _Water Wagtail's_ crew during
that winter: how they built a hut for themselves close to that of their
host; how they learned to walk on snowshoes when the deep snow came;
how, when the lake set fast and the thick ice formed a highway to the
shore, little Oscar taught Oliver Trench how to cut holes through to the
water and fish under the ice; how hunting, sledging, football, and
firewood-cutting became the order of the day; supping, story-telling,
singing, and reading the manuscript Gospel according to John, the order
of the evening, and sleeping like tops, with occasional snoring, the
order of the night, when the waters were thus arrested by the power of
frost, and the land was smothered in snow. All this and a great deal
more must be left untold, for, as we have said, or hinted, or implied
before, matters of greater moment claim our attention.

One night, towards the close of that winter, Paul Burns suggested that
it was about time to go down to the coast and visit their comrades
there.

"So say I," remarked Grummidge, who at the time was feeding the baby, to
the grave satisfaction of Blackboy.

"Sure, an' I'm agreeable," said Squills, who was too busy feeding
himself to say more.

As Little Stubbs, George Blazer, Fred Taylor, and David Garnet were of
the same opinion, and Hendrick had no objection, except that Trueheart,
Goodred, and Oscar would be very sorry to part with them, and the family
baby would be inconsolable, it was decided that a start should be made
without delay.

They set out accordingly, Hendrick and Strongbow alternately leading,
and, as it is styled, beating the track, while the rest followed in
single file. It was a long, hard journey, but our travellers were by
that time inured to roughing it in the cold. Every night they made
their camp by digging a hole in the snow under the canopy of a tree, and
kindling a huge fire at one end thereof. Every morning at dawn they
resumed the march over the snow-clad wilderness, and continued till
sun-down. Thus, day by day they advanced, living