Up Cove, and this is Mrs. Twig and this is Vi'let, the
smartest little maid on The Labrador."

Skipper Zebulon Twig laughed so heartily that Charley forgot his
difficulty for a moment, and laughed too, while he shook hands with Mrs.
Twig, who had, Charley thought, a nice motherly way, and with Violet,
who took his hand shyly.

"Now," said Skipper Zeb, "you're in a fix. You're cast away. The worst
fix a man can get in, to my thinkin', is to be cast away on a rock, or
on the ice, without grub. But you're cast away _with_ grub, and that's
not so bad. There's a pot of stewed bear's meat with dumplin' just
ready. We'll set in and eat, and then talk about your fix. 'Tis hard to
think a way out of fixes with an empty belly, and we'll fill ours. Then
we'll get to the bottom of this fix. We'll find a way out of un. You'll
see!"

III

SKIPPER ZEB FIXES MATTERS

Mrs. Twig placed the big earthen bowl with the appetizing odour in the
center of the table, together with a plate heaped high with slices of
white bread and a bowl of molasses. Then she poured tea.

"Dinner's ready this minute," boomed Skipper Zeb. "Set in, and we'll
eat."

There was no cover upon the home-made table, but its top had been
scoured clean and white with sand and water. The cabin boasted no
chairs, and chests were drawn up by Skipper Zeb and Toby to the ends of
the table, and a bench on each side, to serve as seats.

Accepting the invitation, Charley took a place beside Toby on one of the
benches, Violet sat on the bench opposite them, while the Skipper and
Mrs. Twig each took an end. When all were seated, Skipper Zeb, in so big
a voice Charley was sure the Lord could not fail to hear, asked a devout
blessing upon the family, the stranger within their home, and upon the
food.

"Turn to, now, and eat hearty," Skipper Zeb invited, indicating the
earthen bowl. "'Tisn't much we has, but 'tis good. Mrs. Twig makes the
finest dumplin' on The Labrador. I knows for I eats un. I shoots the
bear last week, and 'twere as fine and fat a bear as ever I sees. He
were just prime to curl up for his winter sleep."

"It looks good, and I'm hungry," said Charley, transferring, with a big
serving spoon, a portion of the stewed bear's meat and dumpling to his
plate. "I never ate bear's meat, and I've always wished I could."

"Never ate bear's meat!" exclaimed Skipper Zeb. "Well, now! And we gets
a bear most every year. What kind of meat does you eat where yo