“Paul, you be loadin’ the things in the boat,” said Dan, “while I does th’ mendin’. Th’ next swell breakin’ over th’ pan may carry th’ bags overboard. Load th’ light bags first.” Paul obeyed, and when the next wave, a little heavier than the first, broke over the pan the outfit was out of its reach. It was well past noon when the last cleat was placed, and Dan began to caulk with strips torn from a shirt, using as his tool a wedge made from a piece of the box. The caulking was not yet half done when the boys were startled by a loud report, like that of a gun. “There she goes!” exclaimed Dan. “I were lookin’ for un! Th’ pan’s busted!” And sure enough, fully a third of their pan had broken loose from the main body of ice which held them. Heavier swells, now and again moving the boat slightly, swept the pan. Dan worked desperately at his caulking; Paul, sitting in the boat clinging to his seat, was expecting every moment to be washed from the ice. As he looked out into the fog and beheld the growing anger of the sea his apprehension grew. He realized fully their imminent peril, and he began to doubt the ability of the frail boat, even had it been free from damage, to weather the high piling waves. All at once he thought he saw something in the distance, a faint splotch in the fog, and he called out: “Dan! Dan! See there! What is that?” Dan raised his eyes from his work and looked. “Land! ’Tis th’ land!” he exclaimed. “’Tis th’ land and we’ll soon be ashore.” The tide was carrying them in, and more and more distinct a rocky outline of coast loomed up. Dan did not stop his repairs, however, and presently the task of caulking was finished. “There,” said he, “she’s caulked, an’ she’ll do to take us ashore.” “Can’t we float her now and land?” asked Paul, in feverish excitement. “That’s a p’int of land,” said Dan, “We’re driftin’ in around un, and I’m thinkin’ th’ tide’ll carry us to the lee, an’ we’ll have less sea to launch in, if we waits a bit.” “Oh, but I want to get ashore!” exclaimed Paul. “Couldn’t we launch off here?” “We might and we mightn’t,” answered Dan cautiously. “We can’t move th’ boat without unloadin’ she. If we launches on the lee, th’ ice’ll be likely to ram in, an’ smash un ag’in, before we gets free, an’ if we tries to launch on ary other side th’ waves’ll be smashin’ un ag’in’ th’ ice before we gets th’ outfit aboard. And anyway, if we unloads th’ outfit on th’ ice th’ sea’s like to work un overboard before we gets th’ boat launched. I’m thinkin’ we’d better tarry a bit.” Dan’s surmise proved correct. The ice slowly swept past the point, and, carried upon the bosom of a rising tide, they gradually passed into a bay, and calmer water. “Now,” announced Dan, who had been watching his opportunity, “we’ll try un.” The things were taken out of the boat, the boat pushed off and alongside the pan and easily reloaded in the now gentle swell, and the boys with their outfit aboard shoved out into the bay.