“If we promises that, sir, ‘twould stop us huntin’ seals and deer and pa’tridges and plenty o’ things.”

“Oh, no!” explained Doctor Joe.  “It does not mean that.  It means that you must kill nothing needlessly.  Here in Labrador we must kill seals and deer and partridges and other game for food and for their skins.  That is the way we make our living.  In the same way they have to kill cows and sheep and goats and pigs for food in the country I came from and to get skins for boots and gloves.  In the same way we are permitted to kill game when necessary.  But we’re not to kill anything that’s harmless unless we need it for some purpose.  The Indians and other people about here shoot at loons for sport.  I’ve seen them chase the loons in canoes and keep shooting at them every time they came up after a dive, until the loons were too tired to dive quickly enough to get out of the way of the shot, and then the poor things were killed.  The flesh isn’t fit to eat and they’re always thrown away.  That is cruel.”

“I never thought of un that way.  I’ve killed loons too,” David confessed, “but I’ll never shoot at a loon again.  ’Tis the same with gulls and other things we never uses when we kills, and just shoot at for fun.”

“That’s the idea,” said Doctor Joe enthusiastically.  “Now what do you think about killing hen partridges in summer?”

“We can kill pa’tridges, can’t we?” asked David.  “We always eats un, and you said we could kill un.”

“But we’ve got to use our heads about it,” Doctor Joe explained.  “I’m talking now about hen partridges in summer.  They always have broods of little partridges then.  If you kill the mother all the little ones die, for they’re too small to take care of themselves.  Do you think that’s right?”

“I never thought of un before,” said David. “’Tis wicked to kill un!  I’ll never kill a hen pa’tridge in summer again!  Not me!”

“We’ll have to be tellin’ everybody in the Bay about that!” declared Andy.  “Nobody has ever thought about the poor little uns starvin’ and dyin’!”

“That’ll be doing good scout work,” Doctor Joe commended.  “That’s one way you’ll be useful as scouts here in Labrador.  Not only will you be showing kindness to the mother and little partridges, but if the mother is permitted to live and raise her brood, all the little birds will be full grown by winter, and it will make that many more partridges that can be used for food when food is needed.”

When presently Jamie announced that it was “’most noon” and he was “fair starvin’,” and the others suddenly discovered that they were hungry too, a fire was lighted in the stove and a cosy lunch of fried pork and bread, and hot tea sweetened with molasses, was eaten with an appetite and relish such as only those can enjoy who live in the open.  Then, with growing interest the lads returned to their scout books, and camping time came almost before they were aware.