But we must not linger over this period of Bobby's life. When he was
five years of age Skipper Ed began his lessons, coming over to Abel
Zachariah's cabin as often as possible, for the purpose, and now and
again he would take Bobby to his own cabin to stop a day or two with him
and Jimmy.

He supplied Bobby with the books he needed, and Bobby studied hard and
learned quickly, and was fascinated with the work, for Skipper Ed had
the rare faculty of making study appear a pleasant game, and it was a
game which Bobby loved to play.

There was little else, indeed, to occupy his attention during long
winter evenings--no streets to play in, no parties, no theaters--and he
made more rapid progress than he probably would have made had he
attended school in civilization, for Skipper Ed was a good tutor and
Jimmy, who was already quite a scholar, was also of great help to Bobby
in preparing lessons.

And as Bobby grew and developed, Abel, on his part, taught him to be
keenly alert, patient, self-reliant and resourceful--qualities that
every successful hunter and wilderness dweller must possess.

He learned first with the miniature whip that Abel made him, and later
with Abel's own long dog whip, to wield the long lash with precision. He
and Jimmy would practice for hours at a time clipping a small bit of ice
no larger than an egg from a hummock thirty feet away.

He played with the young puppies and trained them to haul him on his
small sledge, and he would shout to them proudly, as large as life--and