musket.

"You see, Tom," he said, as they stumbled along over the loose ice
towards the ice-belt that lined the cliffs,--"you see, I'm a great dab
at ornithology, especially when I've got a gun on my shoulder. When I
haven't a gun, strange to say, I don't feel half so enthusiastic about
birds!"

"That's a very peculiar style of regarding the science. Don't you think
it would be worth while communicating your views on the subject to one
of the scientific bodies when we get home again? They might elect you a
member, Fred."

"Well, perhaps I shall," replied Fred gravely; "but I say, to be
serious, I'm really going to screw up my energies as much as possible,
and make coloured drawings of all the birds I can get hold of in the
Arctic regions. At least I would like to try."

Fred finished his remark with a sigh, for just then the object for which
he had gone out to those regions occurred to him, and although the
natural buoyancy and hopefulness of his feelings enabled him generally
to throw off anxiety in regard to his father's fate, and join in the
laugh, and jest, and game as heartily as anyone on board, there were
times when his heart failed him, and he almost despaired of ever seeing
his father again; and these feelings of despondency had been more
frequent, since the day on which he witnessed the sudden and utter
destruction of the strange brig.

"Don't let your spirits down, Fred," said Tom, whose hopeful and earnest
disposition often reanimated his friend's drooping spirits. "It will
only unfit you for doing any good service; besides, I think we have no
cause yet to despair. We know that your father came up this inlet, or
strait, or whatever it is, and that he had a good stock of provisions
with him, according to the account we got at Uppernavik, and it is not
more than a year since he was there. Many and many a whaler and
discovery ship has wintered more than a year in these regions. And
then, consider the immense amount of animal life all around us. They
might have laid up provisions for many months long before winter set
in."

"I know all that," replied Fred, with a shake of his head; "but think of
yon brig that we saw go down in about ten minutes."

"Well, so I do think of it. No doubt the brig was lost very suddenly,
but there was ample time, had there been anyone on board, to have leaped
upon the ice, and they might have got to land by jumping from one piece
to another. Such things have happ