Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1891-08-07

ing in a cloudless sky, and the SIX mites
walk over the smooth, hard frozen snow
was but tritle TO the sturdy boys,
The bog being frozen, they were not
Obliged to make circuit around it, and
this shortened the distance SO much that
Donovan and his companions reached
the beach before nine o'clock in the morn.
ing.
Look at those birds" cried Wilcox,
pointing as he spoke TO an immense fiack
Of peuguins perched upon the reef
"They look like regiment OF tiny sol.
diers on review" said Service.
"They are only penguius and not worth
q shot," remarked Baxter.
The stupid creatures did not even seem
10 think Of such thing IS making their
escape, and the boys could have killed
hundreds OF them with sticks and stones
had they felt so inclined, Donovan may
have felt desire to engage in this whole
sale slaughter but Brian, being prudent
enough not TO oppose it, the penguins We're
not disturbed.
But though these birds were not of the
slightest use, there were other animals
whose fat would be of service in illumi-
mating the cave in case they should be
Obliged 10 remain ON the island another
winter These were the sea-lions which
were gambolling in great numbers on the
| ice covered rocks. but in order TO kill them
| il would be necessary to cut of their re-
treat from the coast to the reef, When
| Brian and his companions attempted To
approach them they fled, cutting up all
sorts of clumsy antics rs they went and
| finally disappeared from view under the
water. SO the boys perceived that a special
expedition must he organized for the pur-
! pose if they wished to capture them.
After a frugal lunch the boys began u
| thorough examination of the beach \
! long stretch of uubrOkeu snow extended
from the mouth of the Zealand River to
| False Sea Point, and all the birds except
the penguius, petrels and gulls seemed to
! have deserted the coast for the interior OF
the island. The suC'v was two or three
feet in depth, and entirely concealed any
| fragments of the schooner that mi Eht still
rcmain. AS for the sea, it was stu de-
! serted to the extreme limit of the horizon
upon which Brian had not sa2ed for three
| long months, aud hundreds Of miles be-
| yond lay the home which he did not yet
despair of seeing again some day,
Baxter proceeded To hoist the new flag
| they had brought with them and to nail
to the flagstaff the bit Of plank stating
the location of the French Cave MS six
miles up the river, then about one o'clock
in the afternoon they turned their stepS
| homeward.
On the way home Donovan killed cou-
pie of plover aud pair of gulls, just to
| keep his hand in, rs he said and about
| four O'clock just as it was beginning to
| grow dark, he and his comrades reached
the cave On their arrival Gordon was told
all that had occurred, and it was decided
that they should make an onslaught upon
| the numerous seals that frequented
| Sloughi Bay as soon rs the weather would
| permit.
| The severe weather was now nearly over.
| During the last week OF August and the
first week of September the wind changed
and there was a decided and rapid rise in
| temperature. The much-dreaded winter
was virtually at an end, and thanks TO the
| precautions taken, the little colony had
suffered very little All were In good
| health, and their studies having been dill
| gently pursued Gordon had little cause to
be dissatisfied with the conduct of his
| subordinates
One day, however, it became necessary
to punish Dole who had on several occa'
sons utterly refused to perform his tasks
or to heed Gordon's reprmands He was
not condemned to diet of bread and wa
| ter-that not being the custom in Anglo
| Saxon schools-but he was sentenced to
receive whipping.
| AS we have before remarked, English
lads do not feel any Of the repugnance
which this kind OF punishment would
surely excite in the breasts of French boys,
but Brian would have stoutly protested
| against this mode of chastsement had he
not felt obliged to submit to Gordon's de-
| Csions; besides, where a French lad would
| feel deeply Inundated, an English lad
would only be ashamed Of seeming to
fear corporal punishment
So Dole bore unhinchingly the blows
administered by Wilcox, who had been
| chosen by lot to perform the unpleasant
duty, and the effect proved so salutary
| that no repetition was ever necessary.
On the 10th of September six months
had elapsed since the "Sloughi" was
wrecked upon the rocks of Sloughi Bay.