Part 6 (1/2)

Billy and Jihed

”Wisht you had,” Donald repeated

”We was,” said Jimmie

Donald threw back his head, puffed out his chest, dug his hands in his pockets and strutted off It was the first tier in the presence of Jimmie Grimm and Billy Topsail To be sure, he made the most of it!

But he was not yet cured

[1] Donald North hiht, and what he said to his mother--N D

CHAPTER VI

_In Which, Much to the Delight of Ji Perilous Business On a Pan of Ice After Night, is Cured of Fear, and Once More Puffs Out His Chest and Struts Like a Rooster_

Likelittle harbour on the northeast coast of Newfoundland, Ruddy Cove is confronted by the sea and flanked by a vast wilderness; so all the folk take their living froenerations In the gales and high seas of the su snow-storrew in fine readiness to face peril at the call of duty All that he had gained was put to the test in the next spring, when the floating ice, which drifts out of the north in the spring break-up, was driven by the wind against the coast

After that adventure, Jiht, Don!”

And Billy Topsail said:

”You're all right, Don!”

Donald North, himself, stuck his hands in his pockets, threw out his chest, spat like a skipper and strutted like a rooster

”I 'low I _is_!” said he

And he was And nobody decried his little way of boasting, which lasted only for a day; and everybody was glad that at last he was like other boys

Job North, with Alexander Bludd and Bill Stevens, went out on the ice to hunt seal The hunt led them ten ave so half a gale offshore When the wind blows offshore it sweeps all this wandering ice out to sea, and disperses the whole pack

”Go see if your father's coettin' terrible nervous about the ice”

Donald took his gaff--a long pole of the light, tough dogwood, two inches thick and shod with iron--and set out It was growing dark The wind, rising still, was blowing in strong, cold gusts It began to snohile he was yet on the ice of the harbour, half a mile away from the pans and duainst the coast

When he cae”--the stationary rim of ice which is frozen to the coast--the as thickly charged with snow What with dusk and snow, he found it hard to keep to the right way But he was not afraid for himself; his only fear was that the ould sweep the ice-pack out to sea before his father reached the standing edge In that event, as he knew, Job North would be dooe Beyond lay a widening gap of water The pack had already begun to n of Job North's party The lad ran up and down, hallooing as he ran; but for a time there was no answer to his call

Then it see far to the right, whence he had coht had almost fallen, and the snow added to its depth; but as he ran back Donald could still see across the gap of water to the great pan of ice, which, of all the pack, was nearest to the standing edge He perceived that the gap had considerably widened since he had first observed it