e strong
tendon through the bark.

To make their canoe firm and steady, they securely lashed three
string pieces across it and then smeared deeply all the seams
with pitch, which they were fortunate enough to secure from one
of the many strange springs and exudations in the valley. They
now had a strong, light canoe, fifteen feet long and a little
over two feet wide at the center. They had been compelled to
exercise great patience and endurance in this task, particularly
in the work with the awl and tendons. Skillful as they had
become with their hands, they acquired several sore fingers in
the task, but their pride was great when it was done. They
launched the canoe, tried it several times near the shore in
order to detect invisible seams, and then, when all such were
stopped up tightly with pitch, they paddled boldly out into deep
and far waters.

The practice they had acquired already with the dugout helped
them greatly with the birch bark, and after one or two duckings
they handled it with great ease. As amateurs sometimes do, they
had achieved either by plan or accident a perfect design and
found that they had a splendid canoe. This was demonstrated when
the two boys rowed a race, after Dick had recovered his full
strength--Dick in the dugout and Albert in the birch bark. The
race was the full length of the lake, and the younger and smaller
boy won an easy triumph.

"Well paddled, Al!" said Dick.

"It wasn't the paddling, Dick," replied Albert, "it was light
bark against heavy wood that did it."

They were very proud of their two canoes and made a little
landing for them in a convenient cove. Here, tied to trees with
skin lariats, they were safe from wind and wave.

An evening or two after the landing was made secure, Dick, who
had been out alone, came home in the dark and found Albert
reading a book by the firelight.

"What's this?" he exclaimed.

"I took it out of the inside pocket of your coat, when I help you
here in the snow," replied Albert. "I put it on a shelf and in
the strain of your illness forgot all about it until to-day."

"That's my History and Map of the United States," said Dick,
smiling. "I took it from the wagon which yielded up so much to
us. It wouldn't tell me where I was in the storm; but, do you
know, Al, it helped me when I read in there about that greatest
of all men praying in the snow."

"I know who it is whom you mean," said Albert earnestly, "and I
intend t