future. Heaven had kindly favored us. The temperature had been very mild
all the time. There had been no wind, and scarcely a cloud to obscure
the sky. As for shelter, we felt that we could manage in two days to
enclose the cave; and as to the other trouble, although we were not very
clear in our minds about it, yet we did not lose confidence that a ship
would come along and take us off before winter should set in. So we
resolved not to abandon our vigilance, but to keep up a constant watch,
as we had done before. Now that we had made a fire, we knew the smoke
would be a great help to us in drawing the attention of the people on
board any ship that might come near.

"With these agreeable reflections we went to work much more cheerfully
than we had done before."

* * * * *

The captain here "hove to," as he said, observing, that, the day being
far spent, he would drop the story for the present. "To-morrow, when you
come, I will tell you how we fixed up the cave, and made ourselves more
comfortable in many ways. Meanwhile you can reflect upon what I have
told you, and you can answer me then whether you think John Hardy and
Richard Dean were an enviable pair of boys."

"I can answer that now," said William.

"Well, what is the answer?" asked the Captain, in great good-humor.

"Why, their pluck and courage everybody would envy, or at least they
ought to; but, for the rest, I would rather stay at home."

"Well, well," said the Captain, smiling pleasantly, "each to his taste.
I rather think I should prefer being in the 'Mariner's Rest'
myself";--saying which he led the way into the grounds in front of the
cottage which he loved so well, where he took leave of his little
friends once more, making them promise over and over again (for which
there was no need at all) that they would come next day and hear about
the cave, and how they there built themselves a shelter from the Arctic
storms.

CHAPTER XI.

In which the little People are convinced of the Goodness
of Providence, as the Reader ought to be,--seeing that
to be cast away is not to be forsaken.

[Illustration]

We have now for some time followed the old man through the recital of
the wonderful adventures which befell himself and the Dean on the lonely
little island in the Arctic Sea; and we have watched the children going
and coming from day to day. And we have seen, too, how happy the
children were when list