Page:Castlemon--Joe Wayring at Home.djvu/376

 family all by myself, so I will go back and get some of the boys to help me."

"Well, see here, Mr. Swan," said Joe. "If you have to burn him out again, don't forget to save my canoe from the general destruction. I know it isn't a very valuable thing, having seen its best days long ago, but still I shouldn't like to think that I had lost it for good."

"I'll bear it in mind," said the guide. "Now, don't let the fire go out. We shall need it to toast the bark."

"What do you want to toast the bark for?"

"Why, to make it straighten out and stay somewhere. Don't you see how it curls up in all sorts of ways? Summer bark isn't as good as winter bark for this sort of work, but I reckon we can make it keep the water out of the skiff till we get to the lake."

Arthur and Joe made all haste to wash the breakfast dishes and collect their "duffle", so that there would be no delay in loading the skiff when the repairs were completed, and then sat down to keep the fire going, and to watch the guide, in whose proceedings they were much interested. They wanted to learn how it