The next thing was to bring the gum into a fit condition for use.  This he did by kindling the fire, and melting it in his tin pan.  This would rather interfere with the use of that article as a cooking utensil, but now that Tom’s mind was full of this new purpose, cooking and things of that sort had lost all attractions for him.  As for food, there was no fear about that.  He had his biscuit, and the lobster and shell-fish which he had cooked on the preceding day were but partially consumed.  Enough remained to supply many more meals.

The gum soon melted, and then a brush was needed to apply it to the boat.  This was procured by cutting off a little strip of canvas, about a yard long and six inches wide.  By picking out some of the threads, and rolling it up, a very serviceable brush was formed.

Taking the gum now in its melted state, Tom dipped his brush into it, and applied it all over the broken surface of the bow, pressing the hot liquid in close, and allowing it to harden in the cracks.  His first coating of gum was very satisfactorily applied, and it seemed as though a few more coatings ought to secure the boat from the entrance of the water.  The gum was tenacious, and its only bad quality was its brittleness; but, as it would not be exposed to the blows of any hard substances, it seemed quite able to serve Tom’s wants.

Tom now went down to the drift-wood and brought up a fresh supply of fuel, after which he melted a second panful of gum, and applied this to the boat.  He endeavored to secure an entrance for it into all the cracks that did not seem to be sufficiently filled at the first application, and now had the satisfaction of seeing all of those deep marks filled up and effaced by the gum.

One place still remained which had not yet been made secure against the entrance of the water, and that was where the planks gaped open from the blow that had crushed in the bows.  Here the canvas that was inside protruded slightly.  Torn ripped up some of the canvas that was on the tent, and taking the threads, stuffed them in the opening, mixing them with gum as he did so, until it was filled; and then over this he put a coating of the gum.  After this another pan, and yet another, were melted, and the hot gum each time was applied.  This gave the whole surface a smooth appearance, that promised to be impenetrable to the water.

The gum which he had collected was enough to fill two more pans.  This he melted as before, and applied to the bows.  Each new application clung to the one that had preceded it, in a thick and quickly hardening layer, until at last, when the work was done, there appeared a coating of this gum formed from six successive layers, that was smooth, and hard, and without any crack whatever.  It seemed absolutely water-tight; and Tom, as he looked at it now, could not imagine where the water could penetrate.  Yet, in order to make assurance doubly sure, he collected two more panfuls, and melting this he applied it as before.  After this was over, he made a torch of birch bark, and lighting this, he held the flame against the gum till the whole outer surface began to melt and run together.  This served to secure any crevices that his brush might have passed by without properly filling.