rdness.

And all the while the great mass was moving, inch by inch, and slowly,
down the long valley toward the sea. Perhaps a century passed, perhaps
two or three, or even more, centuries, before this particular portion of
the glacier, as these masses of ice between the hills are called,
reached the sea and was at last thrust out beyond the land.

And then, one day, with a report like the report of a cannon, it
separated from the mother glacier, slid out into the current, and began
its southward voyage. Months had passed since then--perhaps a year, or
even two or three years--and all the time it had been wasting away in
the water until Bobby and Jimmy found it this July day, off Itigailit
Island.

But neither Bobby as he chopped at the ice, nor Jimmy as he sat in the
boat, gave that a thought, if indeed they knew it. They were intent only
upon gathering enough of the aged ice to preserve the meat of a polar
bear.

Neither did they realize that with each stroke of the ax Bobby was
disturbing the center of gravitation of the iceberg, already delicately
balanced in the water, until presently Jimmy noticed that the side next
him was rising--very slowly and deliberately at first.

"Bobby! Look out--the berg's turning!" he shouted in a terrified voice.

Up and up went the side of the iceberg. Bobby was lost to view. Then
came a rush of water, a great deluging wave swamped the skiff, and
Jimmy went down with a crash and roar of water and crumbling ice in his
ears.

CHAPTER XII

ADRIFT ON THE OPEN SEA

As the iceberg turned, great masses of ice, some of them weighing tons,
loosened from the main body, and with loud rumbling and roar crashed
into the sea. Bobby, when he realized what was happening, began with all
his energy to scramble up the wall of ice as it rose from the water.

Fortunately it was a small iceberg, and fortunately, also, it turned
slowly and with deliberation and but a short distance, when it again
reached its equilibrium, and was still.

Bobby's life had been one of pretty constant peril and adventure, and
after the manner of wilderness dwellers he had learned resourcefulness
and self-possession. It is indeed a part of the daily training of every
lad of the wilderness, that he acquire these attributes, until at last
they become second nature to him, and instinctively he does the thing
he should do when he comes suddenly face to face with unexpected
dangers. And so it was with both Bobby