we'll get there."

It was a relief to load the sled, and when that was done they put
themselves into the hide traces and set off across the ice. Their
traveling was arduous work apart from the hauling of the load, for the
ice was rough and broken, and covered for the most part with softening
snow. They had only gum-boots with soft hide moccasins under them, for
snow-shoes are used only in Eastern Canada, and it takes one a long
while to learn to walk on them.

Sometimes the three men sank almost knee-deep, sometimes they slipped
and scrambled on uncovered ledges, but they pushed on with the sled
bouncing and sliding unevenly behind them, until the afternoon had
almost gone.

They set up the wet tent behind a hummock, and crouched inside it upon a
ground-sheet, while Charly boiled a kettle on the little oil blast
stove. The wind hurled the snow upon the straining canvas, which stood
the buffeting. When they had eaten a simple meal Charly put the stove
out and the darkness was not broken except when one of them struck a
match to light his pipe. They had but one strip of rubber sheeting
between them and the snow, for the water had gotten into the sleeping
bags. Their clothes dried upon them with the heat of their bodies. They
said nothing for a while, and Wyllard was half asleep when Charly spoke.

"I've been thinking about that boat," he remarked. "Though I don't know
that we could have done it, we ought to have tried to pull her out."

"Why?" asked Wyllard. "She'd have been all to pieces, anyway.

"I'm figuring it out like this. If Dampier wasn't up in the shrouds when
we made the landing he'd sent somebody. We could see him up against the
sky, but we'd be much less clear to him low down with the ice and the
surf about us. Besides, it was snowing quite fast then. Well, I don't
know what Dampier saw, but I guess he'd have made out that we hadn't
hauled the boat up, anyway. The trouble is that with the wind freshening
and it getting thick he'd have to thrash the schooner out and lie to
until it cleared. When he runs in again it's quite likely that he'll
find the boat and an oar or two. Seems to me that's going to worry him
considerable."

Wyllard, drowsy as he was, agreed with this view of the matter. He
realized that it would have been quite impossible for Dampier to send
them any assistance, and it was merely a question whether they should
retrace their steps to the edge of the ice next morning and make him
some