“Pooh! Anticosti could never send out such a smell of spruce and pine.”
“Well, it may be Newfoundland, and that won’t help us much.”
“The wind’s going to change,” said Arthur. “I think the fog isn’t so thick as it was.”
“Come, boys, this bottom shoals in some direction. Let’s sound, and row on in the direction where it shoals. That’ll bring us to the shore.” This suggestion, which came from Bruce, was at once acted on. Bart and Tom took the oars. Bruce took a hatchet which had been flung into the boat, and tying a line to it, used this as a sounding lead.
“Row gently,” said he.
The boys did so, following Bruce’s direction, while, holding his sounding-line, he tested the bottom. After a little while he had satisfied himself.
“It shoals in this direction,” said he. “Row straight on a dozen strokes.”
They did so.
Bruce sounded again.
“All right,” said he. “Row on.”