It was over in a moment.  The Devil’s Tea Kettle, with all its loud threats, was behind them.  The boat shot down along the shore, David swung to port, and they were safe in the quiet waters to the lee of the island.

“Thank the Lord!” said David reverently, as he brought the little craft to and the sail flapped idly.

“’Twere a close shave,” breathed Jamie.

“A wonderful close shave,” echoed Andy.

“You had grit,” said Jamie.  “You has plenty o’ grit, Davy—­and a stout heart, like a man.  ’Twere wonderful how you cracked her through!  There’s nary a man on the coast could have done better’n that!”

“’Twere easy enough,” David boasted with a laugh as he wiped the spray from his face, and unshipping the rudder proceeded to scull the boat into a natural berth between the rocks.

Hardly a breath of the gale raging outside reached them in their snug little harbour.  The boat was made fast with the painter to a ledge, and the boys climed to the high rocky shore.

An excellent camping place was discovered a hundred yards back in a grove of stunted spruce trees that had rooted themselves in the scant soil that covered the rocks, and held fast, despite the Arctic blasts that swept across the Bay to rake the island during the long winters.  Here the tent was pitched, and everything carried up from the boat and stowed within to dry.  Fifteen minutes later the tent stove was crackling cheerily and sending forth comfort to the drenched young mariners.  “There’ll be no hurry in the marnin’,” said David when they had eaten supper and lighted a candle.  “We’ll stay up to-night till we gets the outfit all dried, and if we’re late about un we’ll sleep a bit later in the marnin’, to make up.  We’ll make Fort Pelican in an hour, or two hours whatever, if we has a civil breeze in the marnin’.”

“We’ll not be gettin’ away from Fort Pelican to-morrow, will we?” asked Andy.

“We’ll take the day for visitin’ the folk and hearin’ the news, and start back the marnin’ after,” suggested David.

It was near midnight when they crawled into their beds to drop into a ten-knot sleep, and they slept so soundly than none of them awoke until they were aroused by the sun shining upon the tent the next morning.

Breakfast was prepared and eaten leisurely.  There was no hurry.  The wind had fallen to a moderate stiff breeze, and Fort Pelican, through the narrows connecting Eskimo Bay with the sea outside, was almost in sight.

When the dishes were washed Andy and Jamie took down the tent, while David shouldered a pack and preceded them to the place where they had moored the boat the previous evening.  A few minutes later he came running back, and in breathless excitement startled them with the announcement: 

“The boat’s gone!”

“Gone where?” asked Andy incredulously.

“Gone!  I’m not knowin’ where!” exclaimed David.