The
rest of our luggage was stowed in the scow and the canoes, and these were
towed down the canal, as before. We reached home late in the afternoon,
tired and hungry. It was a treat to sit at the table again and eat some of
Mother's appetizing dishes. And say, wasn't that pie great, though! My,
how ravenous we were! And then a soft, comfortable bed with spotless white
sheets and pillow cases. How soundly we did sleep that night! You can just
bet we were all glad enough to get back to civilization, though, of
course, no one could have dragged out the confession from a single one of
us.
The Ice Boat.
[Illustration: Fig. 163. The Backbone.]
School commenced on the 20th of September that year, so we hadn't much
time to spare. Work was begun immediately on the ice boat. Our first ice
boat was rather a crude one. A 2 by 4 inch scantling 14 feet long was used
for the backbone of the boat. The scantling was placed on edge, and to
lighten it and improve its appearance it was tapered fore and aft from a
point 4 feet from the bow end. The thickness of the ends of the backbone
was but 2 inches, as shown in Fig. 163. To the under edge of the backbone,
5 feet from the forward end, a crosspiece was nailed.
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