CHAPTER VIII
WINTER QUARTERS
The winter season had definitely set in on Charman Island at the beginning of May. How long would it last? Five months or less if the latitude was the same as that of New Zealand. And therefore Gordon prepared for the rigours of a long winter.
The young American made careful note of his meteorological observations. He found that as the winter did not begin until May, that is two months before July, which answers to January in the northern hemisphere, it would probably last for two months afterwards, or about the middle of September, when the storms prevalent about the time of the equinox would follow on to prolong it. Consequently the young colonists might be kept at French Den till the early days of October before they were able to make a long excursion either across or round Charman Island. He had thus to draw up a programme of daily work such as would be the best for the life in the cave.
And in the first place he decided to have nothing to do with faggism such as they had been used to at Charman' s School. His whole effort was directed to accustoming the boys to the idea that they were almost men, and had to act as such. There were to be no fags at French Den, that is to say the younger boys were not to be the servants of the elders.
The library of French Den contained only a few books of science and travel, so that the bigger boys could only pursue their studies to a limited extent. But the difficulties of life, the constant struggle to supply their wants would teach them to regard life seriously, and as they were naturally designed to be the educators of
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