nings up the bay during the winter. When he
had finished his meal he returned to the office, where Mr. Forbes was
waiting for him.

"Well, Ungava Bob, as Mr. MacPherson calls you in his letter," said
Mr. Forbes, "you've earned the rifle he gave you, and you're to keep
it. Now tell me more of your adventures since you left Ungava."

Little by little he drew from Bob pretty complete details of the
journey, and then told him that he had better sail the _Maid of the
North_ up to Kenemish, where Douglas Campbell and his father would see
that he secured the salvage due him for bringing out the schooner.

"An' what may salvage be, sir?" asked Bob.

"Why," answered Mr. Forbes, "you found the schooner a derelict at sea
and you brought her into port. When you give her back to the owner he
will have to pay you whatever amount the court decides is due you for
the service, and it may be as much as one-half the value of the vessel
and cargo. You'll get enough out of it to settle you comfortably for
life."

Bob heard this in open-mouthed astonishment. It was too good for him
to quite believe at first, but Mr. Forbes assured him that it was
usual and within his rights.

They arranged that Netseksoak and Aluktook should go with him to
Kenemish and later return to Fort Pelican to be paid by Mr. Forbes for
their services and to be sent home by him on the company's ship, the
_Eric_, on its annual voyage north.

Then Bob, after thanking Mr. Forbes, rowed back to the _Maid of the
North_, too full of excitement and anticipation to sleep.

With the first ray of morning light the anchor was weighed, the sails
hoisted and but two days lay between Bob and home.

As he stood on the deck of the _Maid of the North_ and drank in the
wild, rugged beauty of the scene around him Bob thought of that day,
which seemed so long, long ago, when he and his mother, broken hearted
and disconsolate were going home with little Emily, and how he had
looked away at those very hills and the inspiration had come to him
that led to the journey from which he was now returning. Tears came to
his eyes and he said to himself,

"Sure th' Lard be good. 'Twere He put un in my head t' go, an' He were
watchin' over me an' carin' for me all th' time when I were thinkin'
He were losin' track o' me. I'll never doubt th' Lard again."

XXV

THE BREAK-UP

One evening a month after Ed Matheson started out with his gruesome
burden to Wolf Bight, Dick Blake was