"They sometimes last a long while on these lakes," answered Captain Dacker.
"Did you lose much lumber?"
"A couple of hundred dollars' worth, I reckon. We came close to losing a lot more, but the chains held pretty good."
"I guess we're lucky that we didn't go to the bottom."
"Being filled up with lumber, the Elizabeth couldn't sink very well. But we might have become water-logged and been washed up somewhere along the shore. We came out of it, all told, pretty well."
For the balance of the day the air remained cool. At midnight came a strong but steady breeze, and once again the schooner plowed along on her way to Detroit.
"I don't know that I would care to work on a lumber boat," said Owen, on the day following, when the sun shone as warmly as ever. "It's too monotonous."
"Not when there's a storm on," replied Dale, laughing.
"You know what I mean. Now, in the forest there is a constant change, and the place is full of plant and animal life. Here, one wave is exactly like the next."
"Not a bit of it," said a deck hand standing near. "Every wave is different. But trees in a big woods are all alike."