onsidered how we were to carry our game home, for, although the
distance was short, the hog was very heavy. At length we hit on the plan
of tying its four feet together, and passing the spear handle between
them. Jack took one end on his shoulder, I took the other on mine, and
Peterkin carried the small pig.

Thus we returned in triumph to our bower, laden, as Peterkin remarked,
with the glorious spoils of a noble hunt. As he afterwards spoke in
similarly glowing terms in reference to the supper that followed, there
is every reason to believe that we retired that night to our leafy beds
in a high state of satisfaction.

CHAPTER XV.

Boat-building extraordinary--Peterkin tries his hand at cookery and fails
most signally--The boat finished--Curious conversation with the cat, and
other matters.

For many days after this Jack applied himself with unremitting assiduity
to the construction of our boat, which at length began to look somewhat
like one. But those only who have had the thing to do can entertain a
right idea of the difficulty involved in such an undertaking, with no
other implements than an axe, a bit of hoop-iron, a sail-needle, and a
broken pen-knife. But Jack did it. He was of, that disposition which
_will_ not be conquered. When he believed himself to be acting rightly,
he overcame all obstacles. I have seen Jack, when doubtful whether what
he was about to do were right or wrong, as timid and vacillating as a
little girl,--and I honour him for it!

As this boat was a curiosity in its way, a few words here relative to the
manner of its construction may not be amiss.

I have already mentioned the chestnut tree with its wonderful buttresses
or planks. This tree, then, furnished us with the chief part of our
material. First of all Jack sought out a limb of a tree of such a form
and size as, while it should form the keel a bend at either end should
form the stem and stern posts. Such a piece, however, was not easy to
obtain, but at last he procured it, by rooting up a small tree which had
a branch growing at the proper angle about ten feet up its stem, with two
strong roots growing in such a form as enabled him to make a flat-sterned
boat. This placed, he procured three branching roots of suitable size,
which he fitted to the keel at equal distances, thus forming three strong
ribs. Now, the squaring and shaping of these, and the cutting of the
grooves in the keel, was an easy enough matte