of its load, however, had been
left behind in the yawning hole.

Charly went back a pace or two cautiously until he once more sank to the
waist, and they had some trouble in dragging him clear. Then he sat down
on the sled, and Wyllard stood still looking at the holes in the snow.

"Did you feel anything under you?" he asked at length in a jarring
voice.

"I didn't," said Charly simply. "It was only the trace saved me from
dropping through altogether, but if I'd gone a little further I'd have
been in the water. Kind of snow bridge over a crevice. We broke it up,
and the sled fell through."

Wyllard turned and flung the tent, their sleeping-bags, and the few
packages which had not fallen out of the sled, after which he hastily
opened one or two of them. His companions looked at them with
apprehension in their eyes until he spoke again.

"The provisions may last a week or so, if we cut down rations," he said.

He could not remember afterwards whether anybody suggested it, and he
believed that the same idea occurred to all of them at once, but in
another moment or two they set about undoing the traces from the sled,
and making them secure about their bodies. For half an hour they made
perilous attempt after attempt to recover the lost provisions, and
failed. The snow broke through continuously beneath the foremost man,
but it did not break away altogether, and they could not tell what lay
beneath it when they had drawn him out of the hole. When it became
evident that the attempt was useless, sitting on the sled, they held a
brief council.

"I guess we don't want to go back," said Charly. "It's quite likely
we've crossed a good many of these crevices, and the snow's getting
soft. Besides, Dampier will have hauled off and headed for the inlet by
now."

He spoke quietly, though his face was grave. Pausing a moment, he waved
his hand. "It seems to me," he added, "we have got to fetch the inlet
while the provisions last."

"Exactly," agreed Wyllard. "Since the chart shows a river between us and
it, the sooner we start the better. If the thaw holds, the stream will
break up the ice on it."

The Indian, who made no suggestion, grunted what appeared to be
concurrence, and they silently set to work to reload the sled. That
done, they took up the traces and floundered on again into the gathering
dimness and a thin haze of driving snow. Darkness had fallen when they
made camp again, and sat, worn-out and aching in every