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About the middle of June the ploughs were at work again, and the people busy sowing what was left to them of their seed-barley and potatoes. Among the busiest of the busy at that bustling time was Peegwish. While others were hard at work clearing, rebuilding, ploughing, and sowing, our noble savage was fishing.
On the other hand, if Petawanaquat had left the Indians and continued his journey alone, the great difficulty that lay before them was to find his point of departure from a band which would naturally send out hunters right and left as they marched along. "It's a blue look-out any way you take it," remarked poor Victor, with an expression worthy of Peegwish on his countenance. "I vish it vas blue.
When, therefore, we say that Peegwish went a-fishing, it must be understood that he merely left his seat by the stove in the upper room at Willow Creek and opened the window. Wildcat was as fond of fishing as her brother, but there were a few difficulties in her way which did not exist in his.
But he was too heavy to be thus treated, and as Peegwish did not wish to break his line and lose his hook he could only hold on in despair, while Elsie and Cora, with their mother and Wildcat, stood by helpless and horrified, yet amused, by the novelty of the situation and the frightful noise.
Several young maple and oak trees further down shared the same fate a few minutes later. The house of Angus was full in view. It occupied a mound nearly, though not quite, as high as the knoll on which he stood, and was still, like his own dwelling, far above the reach of the raging flood. The spot where the hut of Peegwish had stood was by that time deep below the surface of the ice-torrent.
"My dear," said Mr Ravenshaw to his wife when she appeared, "you'd better look after our breakfast I've made a mess of it, and I'll go over to Angus Macdonald and invite him and his household to come and stay with us. Their house must be almost afloat by this time." The old gentleman hailed Peegwish, who was outside in the canoe at the moment.
Just previous to this the party had been joined by Herr Winklemann and Michel Rollin, who, after seeing their respective mothers made as comfortable as possible in the circumstances, had been going about the camp chatting with their numerous friends. Louis Lambert had also joined the circle, and Peegwish stood modestly in the background.
It chanced that, on the morning of the arrival of Victor and his comrades at the margin of the flood, Peegwish went a-fishing. That astute Indian was fond of fishing. It suited his tastes and habits; it was an art which was admirably adapted to his tendencies.
At the very time that Angus was speaking about him, Peegwish, feeling convinced that Macdonald's house was in danger, was on his way to the mission station, which he knew to be a place of greater safety, and where he felt sure of a welcome, for the Reverend Mr Cockran in charge at the time had a weakness for the old hypocrite, and entertained strong hopes of bringing about his reformation.
Thunder and lightning added to the grandeur as well as to the discomfort of the scene. Some time after midnight a gust of wind of extreme fury threw down the farmer's tent, and the pole hit the farmer on the nose! Thus rudely roused, he sprang up and accidentally knocked down Peegwish, who happened to be in his way.
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