They halted on the south side of a sheltering rock, where the sun was beginning to shine against the gray stone. Katy hated to confess it, but really she was very, very tired, and was quite willing to let Aleck wrap her up in a thick blanket, and to lie quietly in a sunny nook of the rock while the boys set a fire crackling as near to her as was safe, and began to heat water for coffee. The mill had been forgotten, but Tug had a piece of buckskin in his overcoat pocket, and folding the grains in this they crushed them between two stones, which did just as well as grinding them.
This done, the coffee-pot was filled and set upon the embers, and a moment later four cups were steaming with the hot, reviving liquid, and four tired hands were reaching towards the little heap of slices cut from the boiled ham which had been tossed into the boat the night before, when leaving the ice-raft. It had required all of Rex's strength of mind to keep his paws off these tempting pieces for some time past.
"Poor dog!" cried Jim; "we must give you something, if we are pretty short. Pity there was no fish left for you."
"He can have my slice of ham," Katy said, with a faint smile. "I can't eat it, somehow."
"Better try to eat a little, sis," Aleck said, "because—"
"Don't you touch a mouthful!" exclaimed Tug, snatching the shaving from her hand and tossing it to the dog, which swallowed it at a gulp. "Just you wait a minute! I ought to go and kick myself for not thinking of it before!" And with this puzzling remark he rushed off over the ice.
They saw him rummage about the cargo, and then start back, bringing his gun and a small package.
"Thought it would be just as well to make sure of the gun," he remarked, as he rejoined them; "and here's something, Katy, you can eat, I guess!" It was a box containing two dozen preserved figs that he opened, and handed to her. "I bought 'em just before we left Monore," he said, "and clean forgot 'em till now—sure as I'm a Dutchman!"
"Oh, give me one!" cried Jim.
"Jim Kincaid," said Tug, sternly, springing between the boy and Katy's hand, outstretched in generosity, "if you touch one of those figs I'll thump you well! I didn't bring them all this way for a lubber like you to eat!" And in spite of all the girl's protests, Tug would not touch a fig himself nor allow her to give one to anybody else.