ir supper and breakfast. With the
canoe to keep off the wind, and a blazing fire, they did not complain of
the cold. The paddle across the lake, however, exposed to the biting
wind, was the coldest part of the journey.

They had made some way along the lake, when Tommy, who had nothing to do
but to look about him, said that he saw some one walking about on an
island, and making signals.

"Some Indian just warming himself this cold day," said Tony laughing.

"May be, it's no business of ours," said Tommy.

"Boys, if a fellow-creature is in distress, it's our business to go and
see if we can help him," observed old Marks gravely, and turned the head
of the canoe towards the island. "If he's not in distress it is only a
little of our time lost, and better lose a great deal than leave a human
being to perish, whatever the colour of his skin."

Tony and Tommy felt rebuked for their carelessness. On getting near the
island, who should they see but Pat Honan, one of the men who had been
employed chopping for Michael Hale. He now looked very blue. He could
not speak, and could scarcely move his hands.

"He'd have been frozen to death in a few more minutes," said Marks.
"Light a fire, lads, quick, and we'll warm him up."

He threw one of the buffalo robes over the man, and poured a few drops
of whiskey down his throat, while the boys made up a blazing fire.
Marks turned poor Pat round and round before it, rubbing and beating
him. As soon as Pat could speak, he cried out, "Arrah, it was the
whiskey, the whiskey did it all; ahone, ahone! if it wasn't for that,
Pater Disney might have been alive and well."

"What about Peter Disney?" asked Marks.

"Oh, ahone, ahone! he lies out there stark and cold," answered Pat,
pointing to the other end of the island.

As soon as Pat got well enough to be left for a little while, with Tommy
to look after him and keep up the fire, Marks and Tony paddled round to
where he pointed. There they found a boat knocking against some rocks,
and, on landing, not far off was the body of Peter Disney, frozen stiff,
though covered up with a blanket. He was sitting upright with his mouth
open. A dreadful picture. Nothing could be done for him, so they again
covered him up, and towed the boat out from among the rocks.

"I should like to write over his head, `Drink did it,'" said the old
man: "if I was more of a scholar I would."

As the canoe would not hold another passenger, they all go