the last week, the boat was drawn out upon the level platform
near the hut, and removing her side and covering boards, the party held
a survey of their only resource in case of a breaking up of the ice.
After being measured by Peter, who claimed that the upper joint of his
thumb was just an inch in length, the following measurements were found
to be nearly correct: Length over all, sixteen feet; extreme breadth of
beam, four feet; length of well, eight feet; breadth of well, three
feet; depth of boat, fifteen inches.

About eight feet, it will be seen, was decked, and a space of only eight
feet by three was all that was available for the reception of four men
and the working of the boat. It was decided to remove three feet of the
rear half-deck, increasing the open space to eleven feet. This was
easily done, leaving the strong cross-timbers untouched, and also six
inches of weather-board on each side.

The after part of the combing of the old well was removed and set up
farther aft, and that of the sides was continued until the whole of the
open section of the boat was thus protected from the wash of the sea.
The smaller seals had been skinned, as a stocking is turned off of the
foot, leaving but one aperture, that of the diameter of the neck. It was
a work of some trouble, but was at last accomplished, and these skins,
after being deprived of their inner coating of blubber, were easily
formed into air-tight bags, and provided with narrow tube-like nozzles
by carefully removing the bones from one of the flippers. These were
duly inflated with air, and securely lashed on the inner side of the
boat under the weather-boarding. Six of these were thus placed, two on
each side, forward and aft, and two cross-ways under the thwarts, thus
forming a very fair life-boat.

In addition to these the bows and stern were raised about six inches by
strips of the sides of the broken float nailed to the gunwale, and
strengthened by cross-pieces of planking from the bottom. These were
given considerable shear, so as to be lifted by a sea, instead of
cutting into it. Besides these, rue-raddies, or shoulder-belts of hide,
with a strap attached to the sides of the boat, were adapted to the
height of each man, and each of the party was assigned a position in the
craft, from which there was to be no deviation.

Thus La Salle steered while Waring sat next on the port side. Peter,
with his single strong arm, took the other starboard berth, an