And so said David and Andy also.  They quickly had the contents of the skiff transferred to the cabin, and the exciting process of opening the packages began.

The first to be opened was for Margaret, and it contained many pretty and useful things, including two neat, substantial warm dresses, finer than any Margaret had ever before possessed or seen.  Her eyes sparkled as she held them up for inspection, and she exclaimed over and over again: 

“Oh, how wonderful pretty they is!”

For the boys there were innumerable gifts dear to boys’ hearts, including a compass and a watch for each.  For Thomas there was a fine pair of field-glasses, a compass and a very fine watch indeed, and he was as pleased and happy as the others.

“The glasses’ll be a wonderful help t’ me in huntin’,” he declared.  “When I climbs hills for a look around I can see deer that I’d sure to be missin’ with no glasses.  I’m not doubtin’ the compass’ll come in handy now and again in thick weather.”

Then there was a big box of goodies.  There were such candies as they had never dreamed of—­oranges and big red-cheeked apples.  Even Thomas had never before in his life tasted an orange or an apple, and they all declared that they had never imagined that anything could be so good.  It was quite astonishing to learn that in the great world from which Doctor Joe had come there were people who ate oranges and apples every day of their lives if they wished them.

“’Tis strange the way the Lord fixes things,” observed Thomas.  “Here now we never saw the like of oranges and apples before in all our lives, but we has plenty of trout, and there are folks out there that has no trout but they all has oranges and apples.  We has so many trout we forgets how fine they is, and what a blessin’ ’tis we has un.  And I’m thinkin’ ’tis the same with them folks about the oranges and apples.”

“Yes,” agreed Doctor Joe, “it’s only when things are taken away from us that we really appreciate them.  Jamie, no doubt, appreciates his eyes much more than he would have done had the mist never clouded them.”

“Aye, ’tis so,” said Thomas.

“I dare say,” Doctor Joe suggested, “that you’ve never eaten potatoes or onions?”

“No,” said Thomas, “I’ve heard of un, but I never eats un.  I never had any to eat.”

“Well,” announced Doctor Joe, “I’ve had several sacks of potatoes and a sack of onions and two barrels of apples shipped to Fort Pelican with a quantity of other goods.  We’ll have to go with the big boat for them.”

The boys and Margaret were quite beside themselves with the wonder of it all, and Thomas was little less excited.

“We’ll go for un to-morrow or the next day whatever,” said Thomas.

There was one box still unopened, and the three boys were eyeing it expectantly, when Doctor Joe exclaimed: 

“Here we’ve left till the last the most important thing of all.  Get an axe, David, and we’ll knock the cover off this box.”