CHAPTER IX
THE FISHING PLACES
Like every other healthy lad of his years Bobby loved fun and adventure,though he had early learned to carry upon his broad shoulders a fullportion of the responsibilities of the household. In the bleak landwhere he lived there is no shifting of these responsibilities. Everyman,and every boy, too, must do his share to wrest a living from the sea androcks, and Bobby had no thought but to do his part. If a boy cannot doone thing in Labrador, he can do another. He can cut wood, hunt smallgame, attend the fish nets, jig cod--there are a thousand things that hecan do, and make sport of as he does them, too, as Bobby did, until hegrows to man's estate.
Each summer Abel and Mrs. Abel returned to their old fishing place onItigailit Island, and of course Bobby went with them, and did his sharein jigging cod; and each summer Skipper Ed and Jimmy went to SkipperEd's old fishing place--the place where he had found his forlorn littlepartner that stormy autumn day, when they had sealed their bargain witha handshake.
The days of preparation for departure to the fishing were days of keenand pleasurable anticipation for the boys. It was a break from theroutine of the long winter, and brought with it the novelty of change.These promised weeks upon the open sea were always weeks of delight, andabove all else was the pleasure of seeing and sometimes visiting thefishing schooners which occasionally chanced their way.
The schooners had a wonderful fascination for the lads, for they camefrom the far-away and mysterious land of civilization of which SkipperEd had told them so often and so much, and of which they had read soeagerly on long winter evenings.
It was more than a novelty to listen to the sailormen on the schoonerstalk of the strange happenings in that wonderful land, and to hear themsing their quaint old sea songs and chanteys, or relate marvelousstories of adventure.
Sometimes a skipper would drop them a newspaper, many weeks old to besure, but as fresh and interesting to them as though it had comedirectly from the press. Or perchance--and this was a treasureindeed--an illustrated magazine fell to their lot. And no line of paperor magazine, even to the last advertisement, but was read many and manytimes over. And no illustration in the magazines but held theirattention for hours upon hours.
These old newspapers and magazines were preserved, and carried home totake their place as a valued source of entertainment on stormy winterdays and long winter evenings. And finally the illustrations and moreinteresting articles were clipped and pasted upon the walls until theinteriors of Abel's and Skipper Ed's cabins became veritable picturegalleries and libraries of reference.
But the eve of parting for their separate fishing places was alwaystinged with sadness and regret, for during these weeks they were deniedone another's companionship.
"If our fishing places were only close to each other, so we could fishtogether, wouldn't it be fine!" suggested Bobby, one spring day as heand Jimmy sat on a rock below Abel's cabin, looking expectantly out overthe bay, while Abel, with Skipper Ed's assistance, put the finishingtouches upon the big boat in preparation for departure to their fishingplaces the next morning.
"Yes, wouldn't it!" exclaimed Jimmy. "If we weren't so busy, Partner andI would be dreadfully lonesome without you."
"And if it wasn't for being busy I'd be dreadfully lonesome without you,too," admitted Bobby. "I always am, anyhow."
"Yes," said Jimmy, "so are we on days when the sea's so rough we can'tfish."
"But it's fine out there, and it's always fine to get back, isn't it,Jimmy?"
"Aye, 'tis that!" declared Jimmy.
"But it makes me feel lonesome already," said Bobby, returning to theoriginal proposition, "to think that I won't see you and Skipper Ed forso long."
"What's this I hear? Lonesome for Partner and me?" asked Skipper Ed,who had finished with the boat and, coming up behind the boys, overheardBobby's remark.
"Yes," said Bobby, "at the fishing."
"Well, well, now, isn't that strange!" ejaculated Skipper Ed. "I wasthinking the same way, and Abel was thinking that way, too, and we'vebeen talking it over!"
"Jimmy and I think 'twould be fine if we could all fish together,"continued Bobby.
"So were we! So were we! A strange coincidence!" declared Skipper Ed."And Abel thinks it might be arranged."
"Oh, can it? Can it?" and the boys jumped to their feet.
"I don't know," and Skipper Ed's face assumed a long and gloomyexpression as he seated himself upon the rock. "There's one thing in theway and I couldn't consent."
"Why can't we?" asked Jimmy, in deep disappointment.
"Because," said Skipper Ed seriously, "I'm not free to consent."
"Why not? Yes, you are!" coaxed Bobby. "Please do."
"I'd like to," said Skipper Ed. "Yes, I'd _like_ to; but you see I'vegot a partner, and one partner can't go ahead and do things unless theother partner agrees. At any rate he shouldn't. Do you agree, Partner?"
The boys gave a whoop of joy.
"Then you consent, Partner?" and Skipper Ed's eyes twinkled humorously.
"Of course I do, Partner!" exclaimed Jimmy. "It's what I've wanted to doright along."
"Then everything is arranged," said Skipper Ed. "Abel says there areplenty of fish for all of us around Itigailit Island. Perhaps, then,we'd better go home, Partner, and put things in shipshape for an earlystart in the morning."
And so they parted in high glee, Bobby to the cabin to break the goodnews to Mrs. Abel, and Skipper Ed down the trail toward his own cabin,with Jimmy at his heels.