Charlie, during his wandering life, had acquired considerable experience in fishing. Within less than a mile of the island was an excellent fishing-ground, where schools of large codfish would soon come to feed. Charlie knew, if he could catch these, it would not only be a valuable supply of food for winter, but they would sell for cash at the westward, or at the store for half cash and half groceries.
But the great difficulty in the way was, he could not venture to go there in the canoe. Ben was a giant, and everything he worked with was made upon a corresponding scale. Charlie could hardly lift his axe. His canoe was twenty-five feet in length, and the blades of the oars were twice as wide as common, so that they might take stronger hold of the water. Ben made them before he went to Boston, that, if the wind came to the north-west, he might be able to exert all his strength; otherwise, in a severe blow, he would have only pulled the oars through the water without forcing the boat ahead.
Charlie could hardly move this great thing in the harbor, much less in a sea, and against the wind.
Joe Griffin now came to chop, which increased Charlie’s anxiety to catch the fish, as there were more mouths to fill, and Joe’s held a great deal. He at length broached the matter to Ben, saying, if he only had a light canoe, that he could pull, he could catch fish, for he had been used to fishing.
“I would make you one,” said Ben, “if I had time; but Joe is here, and the oxen are coming from the main, and I must chop.”
“But,” persisted Charlie, “I could dig it out; if you told me how, I think I could make the outside.”
“Well,” said Ben, pleased with the boy’s evident anxiety to be useful, “I will cut the tree, and you can be working it out, and we will help you in rainy days, and at odd times.”
“O, no, don’t,” said Charlie; “I want to cut the tree, and make it all clear from the stump.”
“Why, Charlie, it takes the largest kind of trees to make a canoe; it’s no use to cut a valuable tree to make a plaything; it ought to be as large as you can cleverly pull, or you’ll outgrow it. It will take you a week to cut down such a tree with your little axe.”
“No matter; do let me try.”