y're coming to try to buy it from you. Ask a good price for it. It's
a good one."

"Maybe 'tis that now," admitted Toby. "Aaron and David's been telling
they about un, and they thinks they'll be comin' and buyin' she. But
I'll not sell un. I'll let Dad sell un."

The boys excitedly threw the fish into two boxes that Toby had brought
down on the old sledge that they used for sailing, and hastening to the
cabin announced the approaching visitors to Mrs. Twig.

She was in a flurry at once. She put the kettle over, and told Violet to
set two places at the table, and Toby to clean some trout, and in a
jiffy she had a pan of trout on the stove frying.

"There'll be two of un, whatever," she predicted. "The traders always
has a driver."

But as the komatik approached nearer, the boys discovered that there was
but one man, and, therefore, Toby was certain it could not be the French
trader.

"He'd be havin' a driver, whatever. He never travels without un," Toby
asserted. "I'm not knowin' the team. 'Tis sure not the Company[12]
team."

"We'll soon know now," said Charley, as the dogs swung in from the bay
ice and up the incline toward the cabin.

Toby's dogs had been standing in the background growling ominously as
they watched the approach of the strange team. Now, as one dog, they
moved to the attack and as the two packs came together there was a mass
of snapping, snarling, howling dogs. The stranger with the butt of his
whip, Toby with a club that he grabbed from the woodpile, jumped among
them and beating them indiscriminately presently succeeded in
establishing an armistice between the belligerents, the Twig dogs
retiring, and the visitors, persuaded by their master's whip, lying down
quietly in harness.

"Is this Double Up Cove, and are you Toby Twig?" asked the stranger
through an ice-coated beard, when he was free to speak.

"Aye," admitted Toby, "'tis Double Up Cove, and I'm Toby Twig, sir. Come
into the house and get warmed up and have a cup o' tea. 'Tis a wonderful
cold day to be cruisin', sir."

"Thank you," said the stranger, shaking hands with Toby and Charley. "It
is cold traveling, and I'll come in."

"Charley and I'll be unloadin' your komatik, and puttin' your cargo
inside so the dogs won't get at un," suggested Toby. "You'll bide here
the night, sir?"

"Yes," said the stranger, "I'll spend the night here."

"Come in and have a cup o' tea, and we'll loose your dogs after, sir,"
suggested Toby,