from a load of anxiety, and one good turn deserves another, so I'll
make my fellows work night and day till your ship is discharged."

Stanley was true to his word. Not only did the men work almost without
intermission, but he and Frank Morton scarce allowed themselves an
hour's repose during the time that the work was going on. Night and day
"yo heave ho" of the Jack Tars rang over the water; and the party on
shore ran to and fro, from the beach to the store, with bales, kegs,
barrels, and boxes on their shoulders. There were blankets and guns,
and axes and knives, powder and shot, and beads and awls, and nets and
twine. There were kettles of every sort and size; cloth of every hue;
capotes of all dimensions, and minute etceteras without end: so that,
had it been possible to prevail on the spirits of the ice to carry to
the Esquimaux intelligence of the riches contained in the store at
Chimo, an overwhelming flood of visitors would speedily have descended
on that establishment. But no such messengers could be found--although
Bryan asserted positively that more than "wan o' them" had been seen by
him since his arrival; so the traders had nothing for it but to summon
patience to their aid and bide their time.

When the work of discharging was completed, and while Stanley and the
captain were standing on the beach watching the removal of the last
boat-load to the store, the former said to the latter: "Now, captain, I
have a favour to request, which is that you and your two mates will dine
with me to-morrow. Your men will be the better of a day's rest after
such a long spell of hard work. You could not well get away till the
evening of to-morrow at any rate, on account of the tide, and it will be
safer and more pleasant to start early on the day after."

"I shall be most happy," replied the captain heartily.

"That's right," said Stanley. "Dinner will be ready by four o'clock
precisely; and give my compliments to your crew, and say that my men
will expect them all to dinner at the same hour."

Ten minutes after this, Stanley entered his private apartment in the
fort, which, under the tasteful management of his wife, was beginning to
look elegant and comfortable.

"Wife," said he, "I will order La Roche to send you a box of raisins and
an unlimited supply of flour, butter, etcetera, wherewith you will be so
kind as to make, or cause to be made--on pain of my utmost displeasure
in the event of failure--a plum-pu