good-for-nothing."

We need scarcely say that the captain jested, for Fred was possessed of
a spirit that cannot rest, so to speak, unless at work. He was able to
do almost anything _after a fashion_, and was never idle for a moment.
Even when his hands chanced to be unemployed, his brows were knitted,
busily planning what to do next.

"Well now, gentlemen," resumed the captain, "let us consider the order
of business. The first thing that must be done now is to unstow the hold
and deposit its contents on the small island astern of us, which we
shall call Store Island, for brevity's sake. Get a tent pitched there,
Mr. Bolton, and bank it up with snow. You can leave Grim to superintend
the unloading.--Then, Mr. Saunders, do you go and set a gang of men to
cut a canal through the young ice from the ship to the island.
Fortunately the floes there are wide enough apart to let our
quarter-boats float between them. The unshipping won't take long. Tell
Buzzby to take a dozen men with him and collect moss; we'll need a large
quantity for fuel, and if another storm like this comes it'll be hard
work to get down to it. Send Meetuck to me when you go on deck; I shall
talk to him as to our prospects of finding deer hereabouts, and arrange
a hunt.--Doctor, you may either join the hunting-party, or post up the
observations, etc., which have accumulated of late."

"Thank you, captain," said Singleton; "I'll accept the latter duty, the
more willingly that I wish to have a careful examination of my botanical
specimens."

"And what am I to do, captain?" inquired Fred.