“Ay, there’s the difficulty, Stephen.  Where are we to find wood, throughout a polar winter, for even one fire?”

“We must be saving, sir, and thoughtful, and keep ourselves warm as much as we can by exercise.  I have had a taste of this once, in a small way, already; and know what ought to be done, in many partic’lars.  In the first place, the men must keep themselves as clean as water will make them—­dirt is a great helper of cold—­and the water must be just as frosty as human natur’ can bear it.  This will set everything into actyve movement inside, and bring out warmth from the heart, as it might be.  That’s my principle of keeping warm, Captain Gar’ner.”

“I dare say it may be a pretty good one, Stephen,” answered Roswell, “and we’ll bear it in mind.  As for stoves we are well enough off, for there is one in the house, and a good large one it is; then, there is a stove in each cabin, and there are the two cambooses.  If we had fuel for them all, I should feel no concern on the score of warmth.”

“There’s the wrack, sir.  By cutting her up at once, we should get wood enough, in my judgment, to see it out.”

Roswell made no reply; but he looked intently at the boat-steerer for half a minute.  The idea was new to him; and the more he thought on the subject, the greater was the confidence it gave him in the result.  Daggett, he well knew, would not consent to the mutilation of his schooner, wreck as it was, so long as the most remote hope existed of getting her again into the water.  The tenacity with which this man clung to property was like that which is imputed to the life of the cat; and it was idle to expect any concessions from him on a subject like that.  Nevertheless, necessity is a hard master; and if the question were narrowed down to one of burning the materials of a vessel that was in the water, and in good condition, and of burning those of one that was out of the water, with holes cut through her bottom in several places, and otherwise so situated as to render repairs extremely difficult, if not impossible, even Duggett would be compelled to submit to circumstances.

It was accordingly suggested to the people of the Vineyard Lion that they could do no better than to begin at once to remove everything they could come at, and which could be transported from the wreck to the house.  As there was little to do on board the vessel afloat, her crew cheerfully offered to assist in this labour.  The days were shortening sensibly and fast, and no time was to be lost, the distance being so great as to make two trips a day a matter of great labour.  No sooner was the plan adopted, therefore, than steps were taken to set about its execution.